Brum care home fails another inspection

BIRMINGHAM RESIDENTIAL home Andrew Cohen House has failed another inspection from the Care Quality Commission, receiving an overall rating of “requires improvement”.

Of the five report elements, the home was graded as good in terms of being caring and responsive. But it required improvement in the safe, effective and well-led categories.

The report acknowledged “improvements within the home” and plans for further enhancements.

“People’s decisions and choices were respected by staff. People felt enabled to raise concerns and complaints and were confident that these would be investigated and acted upon.”

However, residents’ rights were “at risk of not being consistently met by staff, who were unclear about the principles of the relevant legislation”.

The home’s leadership views the report as a step in the right direction. The last CQC inspection in summer found improvement required in all five areas. And in early 2015 it was graded “inadequate”— the CQC’s lowest rating — and temporarily prohibited from new admissions.

Estelle Rowe, the chair of trustees, attributed the three failed criteria to “only a small degree of inconsistency. We now have a very good registered home manager who has been in place for five months. It’s really through her leadership that we’ve been able to have this period of stability and put these improvements in place.”

The home has 55 residents, just short of capacity, a third of whom are Jewish. Jews fill the 30 places in the sheltered accommodation associated with the home.

“We do everything we can to make sure the home is open and welcoming to any Jewish person who needs any sort of care,” Mrs Rowe added.