A CARE home in Hereford has been told to improve after inspectors heard that there was a risk of issues with “damp and mould” among other problems.

Southbank, in Southbank Close, has been rated “Requires improvement” overall in a report by watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The home provides care for up to 13 younger adults and older people with autism and/or learning disabilities. 

According to one member of staff, “There is a lot that needs to be replaced otherwise we’re looking at damp and mould issues.”

At the inspection there were hygiene problems with soft furnishings, some of which were damaged, ripped and stained.

The report, published on October 25, also said that some people may not have been drinking enough fluids due to not being monitored, however, it added: “It was not clear if records were incomplete, or the person had not drunk sufficiently.”

The home had previously completed an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve. As of the recent inspection, the care home was no longer in breach of regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act, but continued to be in breach of regulation 17. This means that it is now safer, but is still lacking in the quality of leadership.

It also said that the environment was poor. The report reads: "Staff felt the poor environment had a negative effect on their wellbeing, as well as the people who lived there. 

"People continued to live in an environment that did not fully promote independence. One person could not go into the garden, as there was a step down."

However, Southbank was praised for the manager's interactions with residents. The report said: "We saw the manager interacted positively with people who lived in the home."

A spokesperson for Hoople, the provider of the care home, said: "Having adopted the service in April 2022, which was rated as requiring improvement, we have been working with the local authority quality assurance team to outline a robust service improvement plan which we have been implementing.

"We have been working through improvements and repairs to our facilities, with further works planned for next year.

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"While there are a number of development areas within the service, our recording and auditing, we are proud to have been commended on the team's interactions with residents, and that CQC recognise that improvements are happening.

"The safety and happiness of our residents remains our top priority and we look forward to working with staff teams, residents and families, and the local authority to implement our improvement plans."

Hoople is a Hereford-based company that provides support services to the public sector and on a commercial basis.