Ixworth Dementia Village near Bury St Edmunds remains in special measures after inadequate Care Quality Commission rating

A Suffolk care home has been rated inadequate for a second time by a watchdog and remains in special measures after it failed to make sufficient improvements.

Ixworth Dementia Village, near Bury St Edmunds, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission which found the care home was still in breach of regulations relating to risk prevention, medication administration and preservation of dignity and respect.

The report also said that although the provider was no longer in breach of some of the regulations, people were still at risk of harm.

However, the care home, run by Leaf Care Services, had made improvements to people's mealtime experiences by hiring a chef, offering better quality food and more choice of meals.

The facility, which currently cares for 16 people, was placed in special measures after an inspection during the summer following 'significant concerns' found during an inspection of another service run by the same provider.

The CQC report found that risks were not being effectively identified and mitigated against, with risk assessments not always being completed and care plans not being sufficiently detailed in how to effectively support people and prevent any risk.

Activities both inhouse and external were not always risked assessed before they happened which meant potential risk of injury and use of equipment had not been fully explored.

Some staff did not know how to access personal evacuation plans (PEEPs) and were not clear on the fire emergency procedures.

The facility was no longer in breach of the regulation relating to preventing and controlling infection, but practices were not consistently applied. During the inspection, several staff did not consistently wear face masks or had masks sitting under their mouth and nose.

Inspectors also noted that while the home was visibly clean, there was damaged flooring in places which meant these areas could not be effectively cleaned. There was also some areas of malodour.

Some improvements had also been made to staffing, with more staff available on both day and night shifts. However, this was dependent on staff availability and if the staff member was unable to work, the shift did not happen.

One relative said: "There is never enough [staff], sometimes you can wander around, but they are all in the rooms dealing with someone. [Family member] says is she rings her bell, they may take 30 minutes to come, and they don't understand where the staff are, but [family member] doesn't have complaints about their care."

The report also noted that more needs to be done to uphold dignity and respect. Staff did not always take steps to protect people's privacy such as knocking on their door before entering and speaking with people discretely about any personal care if they were in a communal area.

The language staff used was not always respectful, referring to people who need the assistance of staff to eat as 'feeders'.

People were not always supported to be independent and CQC inspectors saw people trying to stand up and move being repeatedly asked to sit down.

People continued not to be engaged and stimulated. Inspectors observed people left unsupervised for long periods of time with no meaningful activities in place.

However, the report did note some improvements, most notably the employment of a chef, a greater choice of food and varied portion sizes.

One relative said: "They have a new cook and they have improved the presentation of the food; I would want to eat it. Now they have choice of foods."

Another improvement was the implementation of call bells after a relative noted that before people would have to shout to get help.

The service remains in special measures and CQC will keep the service under review. The watchdog will re-inspect within six months to check for significant improvements.

Leaf Care Services was approached for comment.