New Forest care home to challenge report which slammed its coronavirus handling

A CADNAM care home has said it will challenge aspects of a below-par rating it was given by the national watchdog which raised concerns about how it was handling the threat of coronavirus.

Forest Edge, in Southampton Road, was overall adjudged ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It fell below standards in four out of five areas marked.

The CQC report into the home, which can provide care for up to 32 people, said while staffing levels were sufficient and the fully personalised care was good, there were administrative issues.

It said the home was “not following all the government guidance aimed at preventing and controlling Covid-19”, adding: “Infection prevention and control practice was not always as robust as it should be.”

There were also issues with medicine protocols, and systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service were “not always effective” in identifying areas for improvement.

In its report the CQC said the inspection had been prompted, in part, “due to concerns received about infection control, training, the Mental Capacity Act and the leadership team not engaging with local health and social care professionals”.

Registered manager Darren Hughes told the A&T: “Unfortunately there are inaccuracies in the report. The way in which information has been presented gives a very negative picture which does not match up with the reality.”

He said he was “addressing our concerns” with the CQC and would explain its response on its website in due course.