A care home in Upminster has been downgraded after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Little Gaynes Rest Home, in Corbets Tey Road, was found lacking in effective service and overall leadership during an unannounced visit by CQC on Tuesday (May 23).

It was rated 'requires improvement' overall, down from 'good' after its previous inspection in 2019.

The residential care home provides personal care for 18 older people, some of whom were said to be living with dementia.  

A report recently published said that the pre-admission assessments at the care home were not comprehensive as they “did not fully cover people’s needs” in relation to “equality and diversity”.

The service’s quality assurance and monitoring systems, while in place, were not found to be always effective.

Residents at the care home, the report said, were not supported to have “maximum choice and control of their lives” and staff did not support them “in the least restrictive way possible.”

Read More: Nomase Care Ltd in Chadwell Heath rated 'inadequate' by CQC

Inspectors made recommendations about the safe management of medicines as lapses were observed on this front.

For example, the report said that three residents were prescribed medicines to be used “as required” but there were no guidelines about when to administer these.

In another instance, inspectors found one person was given a medicine regularly while information in their records stated it was only meant to be given “as required”.  

However, inspectors acknowledged that residents were supported to maintain a balanced diet and had enough to eat and drink.

Residents’ access to healthcare professionals was noted as satisfactory and the staff were found to have received training relevant to their roles.

Staff and residents told the inspectors that there was an “open and positive culture” at the care home where “people were supported to express their views”.

The provider, the inspectors noted, was aware of their legal obligations and worked with other agencies to develop best practices.

A detailed report from the current inspection can be accessed on CQC’s website: https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-291684106/inspection-summary.

The Recorder contacted Little Gaynes Rest Home for a comment but no response was received.