A care home in Reading was deemed be in breach of regulations and not always safe, according to a recent inspection.

Gaps in medicine records and doubts over staff training and fire safety were raised during an unannounced visit to 159 Wensley Road by the regulator on March 16.

When reached for comment, the care home, in Coley Park, declined.

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Residents of the small care facility, which has four beds, told inspectors they felt safe at the service.

"I have no worries regarding staff, I feel safe. I speak to them and it helps me," said one person.

Relatives felt their family members were safe at the service. One said: "I have no concerns about [resident's] safety. If anything was wrong, [staff] would tell me."

But inspectors found "aspects of the service were not always safe and there was limited assurance about safety," according to their report.

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Medicine and safety management at the home breached regulations set out in the Health and Social Care Act despite management failing this criteria in their last inspection.

No evidence of staff competence training in medicine was provided to the CQC.

The Care Quality Commission did not find evidence that staff had undergone a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which would confirms candidates do not have a criminal conviction that prevents them from working with vulnerable adults.

A review of medicine stock revealed a bottle of eye drops not dated when it was opened, according to the regulator’s report released on Friday (May 20).

There were 11 gaps in medicine administration record charts for the people and no explanation of the gap recorded.

A door had not been installed between a kitchen and a bedroom since a fire risk assessment recommended it in November 2020. This was remedied after the CQC visit.

The service were praised for their use of effective infection, prevention and control measures, with no service user contracting Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

Relatives also agreed the service was clean and tidy.

Services registered with the Care Quality Commission are required to notify them of significant events and other incidents that happen in the service, without delay.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued

During this inspection, the CQC found the registered person did not ensure they were notified of events within a reasonable time frame.

But the manager was visible in the service, approachable and took a genuine interest in what people, staff, family, advocates and other professionals would have to say, the report said.

Staff felt respected, supported and valued by the manager and the previous registered manager which supported a positive culture

One staff added, "We work as a team and it is a good team. We help each other out and I can call [other staff] for help. Everything seems to be going well."

The care home was rated "requires improvement."