A SOUTHAMPTON care home that looks after young adults with learning disabilities and autism has been told it “requires improvement” in its latest inspection report.

Delrose Care Home on Portsmouth Road was told it required improvement in its most recent CQC report, publish last week.

The home, which provides accommodation and personal care to younger adults with a learning disability or autism, was told it required improvements in two out of five categories.

Inspectors looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance were to a “high-quality”.

During this inspection, the question “Well-led” was rated as requires improvement as management and leadership was “inconsistent”.

In one case, a person’s care plan stated that they should go for a drive every morning, but records showed that they had not been outside since May 4, 2019.

Management claimed this was because equipment needed to take the individual out had been removed from the premiss and they were waiting on its return.

The report states: “The provider’s processes were not effective in monitoring, assessing and improving the quality and safety of the service.

The report states: “The provider’s processes had not proactively identified concerns raised in a local authority audit in March 2019.

“These included failure to label opened food packages with the date opened, failure of staff to wear appropriate protective clothing when handling dirty laundry, and unsafe storage of cleaning products.”

When observed for how “Safe” the care home was, inspectors look for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.

Inspectors from CQC found that some aspects of the service were not always safe and there was a “limited assurance about safety”, therefore requiring improvement.

In the report, it says: “Arrangements for keeping the home clean and hygienic did not protect people from the risk of infection.

“A recent audit by the local authority had identified examples of poor practice in relation to hygiene and cleanliness.

“There had been no designated staff member for infection control as required by guidance, and consequently no annual statement to identify any issues in this area.

“Staff could not always give enough attention to keeping the shared areas of the home clean and hygienic.”

The three other categories inspected by CQC - “Effective”, “Caring” and “Responsive” - were rated ‘good’.

A spokesperson for the carehome said: “We are pleased that CQC awarded us a “Good” rating in three of the five key areas of inspection.

"We are also pleased that CQC recognised that we had made improvements since the last inspection, that the service is caring and responsive, and that there were positive, caring relationships at Delrose between staff and the people they support.

"We are also pleased that the CQC identified that the people we support have their needs met in a way that respected their choices and preferences, that people have support to maintain a healthy diet and access to other healthcare services and that our care plans are based on thorough, detailed and person-centred assessments.

"We know that there are still areas for improvement, and we have in place clear plans to make sure that the progress made at Delrose continues its upward progression.

"We will continue to work with Commissioners, families and most importantly the people we support to ensure that the quality of our care is of a high standard.”