Henson Court in Bognor told to improve by CQC

Henson Court, in Bognor, was rated "requires improvement" after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June.

Inspectors said the newly registered service, which cares for six people, was “not always safe” or “well-led” and noted an occasion when a resident had “unexplained bruising”.

The commission found breaches in relation to safeguarding people from abuse and governance.

“People were not always kept safe from avoidable harm,” said inspectors.

“A relative told us of one occasion their loved one had unexplained bruises which the service had not reported to them.

“Another relative shared their concerns with safety and the potential impact this had on their loved one and how this had been managed previously.

“They told us about two incidents where people were upset which resulted in their loved one being injured.”

Dillen Iyavoo, managing director at Pathway Healthcare Ltd, which runs Henson Court, said the company was “disappointed” with the result and that the bruising incident in the report had not been raised “appropriately” by a previous manager who left the organisation “some time ago”.

“We are disappointed with the overall rating in the report but pleased that we have been rated good by CQC for three out of five key lines of enquiry, for caring, effective and responsive,” said Mr Iyavoo.

“The incident referred to within the report had not been raised appropriately by a manager, who left our organisation some time ago. Once we were aware of the incident we immediately reported to all key stakeholders, we thoroughly investigated and have reported back accordingly, including to CQC.

“The new experienced manager is working very effectively with the people we support and their staff teams and this is recognised numerous times within the body of the inspection report, indeed there are many more positive comments in the report than there are negative.

“We will continue to work positively with the people we support, their families and health and social care professionals to deliver great person-centred care and support.”

Inspectors praised the home’s staff for providing “compassionate” and “empowering” care.

“People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments, or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have,” they said.

“This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs.”

They also praised the home’s current manager.

“Management were visible in the service, approachable and took a genuine interest in what people, staff, family, advocates and other professionals had to say,” said inspectors.

“This was a new service with a person-centred focus working closely with relatives and professionals supporting people to grow in independence and achieve good outcomes.”