CQC issues damning verdict on Sussex Health Care service

Kingsmead Lodge in Horsham has been rated ‘inadequate’ and placed in special measures by the CQC.

The home, which provides personal and nursing care for up to 20 people with learning and physical disabilities, is operated by Sussex Health Care, which is the subject of a police investigation into a number of deaths at its homes between April 2015 and June 2017 (see Probe widened into Sussex Health Care deaths).

In a damning report, the CQC said: “The provider has not developed or adapted Kingsmead Lodge in response to changes in best practice guidance. Had the provider applied to register Kingsmead Lodge today, the application would be unlikely to be granted.

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“The model and scale of care provided is not in keeping with the cultural and professional changes to how services for people with a learning disability and/or Autism should be operated to meet their needs. People with learning disabilities using the service should be able to live as ordinary a life as any citizen.”

The CQC highlighted safety concerns over medicines management, gaps in staff training and activities not being consistently person centred.

A Sussex Health Care spokesperson said: “We are working constructively with the CQC and are taking on board their findings. We are committed to providing the highest quality of care for residents. Where areas of improvement have been identified we have been, and will continue to, put in place measures ensuring we deliver the best support possible.”

To read the report, click here.