South Shields care home praised for improvements - but watchdogs say more needs to be done

A South Shields care home has been praised for making improvements but still has work to do, says watchdog.
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Haven Court in South Shields has been told it still requires improvement by the Care Quality Commission after an unannounced inspection in September 2019.

A report published in December 2019 highlighted how the purpose-built home, which cares for up to 80 people including dementia sufferers, needs to improve in areas of effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership.

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However, the service, which is run by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, was found to be caring and safe.

Haven Court in South Shields has been praised for improvements by the Care Quality Commission.Haven Court in South Shields has been praised for improvements by the Care Quality Commission.
Haven Court in South Shields has been praised for improvements by the Care Quality Commission.

The report also highlighted that a number of improvements had been made since the last inspection in 2018, including reducing the risk to resident’s safety.

It said: “Improvements had been made since the last inspection and these included improvements to the premises, people’s safety, displaying the rating from CQC and governance. People, relatives and staff were positive about the changes.

“There was a stronger governance system in place, but some improvements were still required to ensure person-centred care.”

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This included a recommendation that staffing levels were kept under review.

The service was said to be well-maintained with a good standard of hygiene and staff were praised for their attentiveness and compassionate care.

However the report said that more needed to be done to keep people motivated and engaged and recommended that the home follows “best practice guidance for the design of the environment” to help those living with dementia.

Bosses have praised the hard work of staff and said they are already taking steps to improve things further.

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Melanie Johnson, Director of Care Quality and Safety at Haven Court, said: “There are many positives in the CQC’s latest report on Haven Court, particularly in relation to care and safety, which is very encouraging. They have also acknowledged the improvements that have been made since the previous report, which are the result of a lot of hard work by staff.

“We appreciate that more improvements are required and work around these is already underway. We will be studying the new report in detail to help us ensure that we are making the right changes to enable Haven Court to become an outstanding facility.”