CQC blasts South Haven Lodge care home in Southampton

The CQC has ‘taken action to protect people’ living at South Haven Lodge Care Home on Portsmouth Road and rated it inadequate.

It comes after an unannounced inspection in September and October, 2024.

Neil Cox, CQC deputy director of operations in the south, said: “We were disappointed to find people’s basic support needs weren’t being met.

“Staff couldn’t demonstrate they understood their role in safeguarding people from abuse.

“One person’s care plan said they posed a risk to female staff and residents.

“The care plan said the person should be supervised by staff when they were out of their room, but throughout the inspection they were seen unsupervised.”

“We were very concerned about the risk of neglect to residents.

“Throughout the inspection people appeared unkempt, and staff said not all staff could be bothered to shower people.”

Run by Aurem Care Limited, the home provides care to 31 residents and the CQC said it took action to immediately suspend the ratings of the service following the inspection.

It has also been placed in special measures which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people safe whilst it is being monitored.

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Mr Cox said that the most concerning aspect of the care was “the way people were made to feel, in a place that was supposed to be their home.”

He continued: “There were instances where people showed signs of being distressed and staff often ignored them.

“We saw several instances of poor staff practice, such as staff failing to respond to requests for help, not supporting people when they were distressed, and walking away when people needed further help.”

Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen, said: “The situation at South Haven Lodge Care Home is deeply concerning and it’s completely unacceptable that residents and their relatives have been so badly let down.

Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen (Image: NQ) “Residents rightly expect care homes to protect them from harm and neglect and to support them to live in dignity, and it’s therefore right that the CQC has taken prompt action where this isn’t happening.

“I’ve written today to the home’s management seeking urgent assurances that there is a robust improvement plan in place to address these serious concerns.”

What has Aurem Care said in response to the CQC rating?

Aurem Care has 12 locations across the UK and has told the Echo that it was ‘sorry’ to have fallen short of the CQC standards.

The care provider also said that it had deployed an action plan and hired new staff to make sure that services are improved going forward.

A spokesperson for the home said: “We are very disappointed and sorry not to have reached the high standards of care we demand of ourselves.

“We have taken the report’s feedback very seriously and since the inspection, which took place several months ago, we have worked tirelessly to implement a robust action plan to address the concerns.

“This is being overseen by external stakeholders, particularly the local authority who are very supportive as well as an independent quality consultant, to ensure changes are fully embedded.

“We are confident that the home has benefitted significantly from the changes, including the appointment of a manager with significant experience in care home performance improvement, a quality lead and a new deputy manager.

“We have also been engaging with our residents and their families throughout this process, and we thank them for their consistent support.”