Working at St James's Lodge

Controlled drugs were not administered in line with the service’s policy and NICE guidance. Discrepancies were found between controlled drug records and medication administration records.

Staff did not feel consistently supported or valued. One staff member said, “It’s awful, we are understaffed, management are awful the way they treat people.” Another told us, “The atmosphere is very low, we feel we do not have enough staff to meet the needs of the residents.”

Staff and relatives reported the service was regularly short of staff, which limited opportunities for social interaction with people and providing person-centred care. One staff member said, “We are understaffed… residents are made to get out of bed even if they have said they want to stay in bed.”

The providers training matrix showed outdated training in key areas such as dysphagia and dementia care. Only 41% of staff had up-to-date dysphagia training, and only 66% had completed dementia training.

Governance systems were not effective. Audits were not consistently completed or analysed for themes and trends. Action plans lacked timeframes and registered manager oversight.

We received mixed feedback from people about activities... Comments included, “There isn’t really any activities to do. I have asked for things before like having my nails painted, but I get told it’s not an activity or there isn’t enough staff. They do bingo sometimes.”