TWO care establishments in Copeland have emerged from inspections by the Care Quality Commission with ‘good’ ratings although both require improvement to safety aspects.

Lapstone House, Millom, is Cumbria County Council-run and provides accommodation and personal care for up to 25 elderly people; 19 were in residence at the time of the unannounced CQC inspection in November.

The home, which is divided into three units, was rated good for its caring, effectiveness and being well-led but needed improvement in its safety regime by increasing staffing levels on night duty.

30 Roper Street, Whitehaven, is operated by the Croftlands Trust and provides support for people with enduring mental health problems.

Only four people were in residence at the time of the CQC inspection in October.

The service was rated good for its caring, effectiveness and being well-led but needed to review the way it managed medicines.

Lapstone House residents told the inspectors that they were well cared for and happy. People were treated with respect and kindness and their independence, privacy and dignity were protected.

The inspection found however that there was a breach of the Health and Social Care Act in that there were insufficient numbers of support staff at night time to meet the assessed needs of the residents.

During their visit the inspectors noted staff approached people in a friendly and respectful way and residents said it was a “homely” and “comfortable” place to live.

It was clean, kept tidy and fresh and was scheduled for a refurbishment.

Staff knew what action to take if they were concerned about the safety or welfare of anyone and there was ongoing training and supervision.

Medicines were safely administered and stored and accurate records were kept.

Quality audits were used by the manager to monitor aspects of the service.

The home at Roper Street was found to be good in the aspects of caring, effectiveness, whether it was responsive and well-led, however the safety aspect was deemed to require improvement as it was in breach of a Health and Social Care regulation as some elements of medicines management could have been unsafe for people.

Medicines management needed to be reviewed in the service so that people were given appropriate support with all of their medicines.

The manager was aware of some issues and was dealing with gaps in the processes.

The Croftlands Trust provides care homes and personal care support to people in Copeland and Allerdale.

On their visit the CQC inspectors found that staff understood how to protect vulnerable people from harm and received training in matters of equality and diversity, in mental health issues and legislation.

They did not use restraint but had contingency plans to deal with any episodes.

They knew how to manage infection control and, inspectors found, staffing levels were appropriate with new members given background checks.

Staff helped some people to shop and make meals and encouraged healthy eating and people were encouraged to go out and to participate in community activities.

“We saw caring and sensitive interactions between staff and people who used the service. Staff were patient and showed a good understanding of the distress that mental ill health might cause,” said the CQC report.