Storrington care home told it must improve ... for the second time

Sussexdown in Washington Road - run by a company called Care South - came in for the criticism after it was rated ‘requiring improvement’ following an inspection by the Care Quality Commisssion.

A similar rating was made after a previous inspection in March last year.

The care home was looking after 66 adults - some of whom are elderly, some physically disabled and some suffering dementia - in three separate units at the time of the latest inspection in February.

The inspectors found that there were not enough staff to meet needs and staff themselves said they were often stretched.

“There was an increased risk that people could be harmed,” said the inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission is now to meet up with Care South to discuss how changes will be made.

The care home was rated as ‘requiring improvement’ in four categories: safety, effectiveness, care and leadership.

It was rated ‘good’ in responsiveness.

Aaron Whitehead, director of residential care at Care South: “Whilst we are aware of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) concerns at Sussexdown, Care South has been making many changes under a new management team, which was appointed just two months ahead of the CQC’s visit. Indeed, these circumstances were identified by our own internal audit system in the autumn and we had put in place a robust action plan to ensure and deliver the necessary improvements.

“The CQC report acknowledged that residents felt safe and that the home was clean, with staff following best practice in relation to infection control.

“However, there was a major concern in the report around the home’s use of agency staff. More recently, and despite the additional factors of isolation, PPE and crisis care due to heightened national requirements, the home has achieved significant results in reducing its reliance on agency staff and has employed permanent staff in all areas.

“It was helpful that the CQC was able to acknowledge and recognise many of the improvements that are being made under the leadership of the new manager. Sadly, insufficient time had passed before the CQC visit for these to have had a sufficiently positive impact, resulting in the rating which Care South will ensure does not continue to be applicable.”

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy.

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: “Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role.”

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

In addition, please write to your MP urging the Government to provide some additional financial support for local newspapers and their websites like this one and ensuring that supermarkets continue to stock them. I cannot stress enough how important such an intervention would be.

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.