A YORK care home has been told to carry out a series of improvements by a watchdog following an inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CWC) said in a report that four key areas needed to improve at The Lodge in Heslington, a residential care home for up to 30 older people who may have dementia.

It said records used to monitor people’s weight and food and fluid intake were ineffective, there were concerns about the support provided for people to meet their personal care needs and about the ‘culture within the service,’ with staff not always working effectively as a team.

However, both residents and relatives had told inspectors that staff at the home were kind and caring.

The report, which followed unannounced inspections in December, said the registered provider was now meeting regulations relating to safe care and treatment, but inspectors identified continued concerns regarding governance of the service.

“Care plans were not consistently updated, where people had lost weight, to provide additional guidance to staff on how to manage the risks.

“We found that care records did not evidence that staff had regularly supported people to have a bath or shower. These concerns showed us that the registered provider had not maintained complete, accurate and contemporaneous records.”

It said rotas showed examples where only two staff were on duty at night and gaps in staff training needed to be addressed.

However, staff demonstrated they understood their responsibilities to safeguard vulnerable adults from abuse and sought consent to provide care and support.

The inspectors also received positive feedback about the food provided and observed that people were supported and encouraged to eat and drink regularly, adding: “We observed that staff spoke with people in a respectful way and supported people to maintain their privacy and dignity.”