OWNERS BRING IN CONSULTANTS TO IMPROVE ‘INADEQUATE’ CARE HOME
Centre lost experienced staff in pandemic
BOSSES running one of Stoke-ontrent’s biggest care homes are taking action – after the centre was plunged into ‘special measures’.
Trentham Care Centre is currently rated ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after losing its previous ‘good’ rating.
It comes as NG Healthcare - which runs the complex on Longton Road in Trentham - was hit by the loss of experienced staff during the coronavirus pandemic which then placed a greater reliance on agency workers. Now the company has recruited Fulcrum Care Consultants to try to improve the centre.
NG Healthcare is owned by Nightingale Group. Its chief executive Steve Forrester said: “Prior to the start of the pandemic, we had spent the past few years building up the complexity of the care centre and taking very complex residents that the local authority had found almost impossible to place locally and as a result of an excellent workforce and investment in training and infrastructure we had achieved a ‘good’ Care Quality Commission rating since 2019.
“When covid hit we lost a significant proportion of our workforce and, like most care homes in the country, we had to use a high number of agency staff which, given the complex nature of the residents we provide care for, has unfortunately impacted in a negative way on the quality of our services and the standards of care that our residents rightly expect.
“Following two CQC inspections since the end of 2021 the centre was rated inadequate last month and placed in special measures.
“As the operator of the centre, we have taken immediate action to ensure that we are addressing all concerns effectively and quickly and improving the operation at all levels.
“Fulcrum is providing both management and clinical support on the ground and we want to reassure all our residents and their relatives that we are doing everything possible to ensure that the centre is providing a good and safe standard of care throughout the home. With the support that our management consultants are providing and our dedicated team of staff and managers, I am confident that Trentham Care Centre will once again become a centre of excellence within the local care home community.”