A CARE home says it is “working hard to turn itself around” after being told it must improve by health watchdogs in their latest inspection.

New Partnerships Lynray and Peach Cottage in Rayne, was rated as requiring improvement by the Care Quality Commission.

At the time of the inspection, there were six people using the service but only three of these received personal care as detailed in the regulated activity.

Despite scoring a good rating for safety, effectiveness and level of care, it was told it must improve in its responsiveness and leadership.

Inspectors rank responsiveness based on evidence that the service meets people's needs.

The report said: “This is the first inspection of this service under a new registered provider.

“This key question has been rated requires improvement. This meant people's needs were not always met.

“The registered manager and staff team offered choices tailored to individual people using a communication method appropriate to that person, however, staffing levels and use of agency staff meant people could not always go out when they wanted to and that there was not always consistency of care.”

In leadership, inspectors looked into evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care.

The report said: “Recruitment and staffing levels were a concern. The registered manager told us they were trying to recruit and to use consistent agency staff.

“People did not always receive person centred care, support and choice in their daily lives as the high turnover of staff and high use of temporary agency staff impacted on the services ability to meet their needs.”

A spokesman for the home said: “We are pleased that our latest CQC inspection rated the service good in the safe, effective and caring categories, with inspectors noting that the people we support receive kind and compassionate care.

“We are naturally disappointed that the service was judged as requiring improvements in the well-led and responsiveness categories, but since the inspection, we have been working hard to turn this around.

“This includes having a consistently open channel of communication and collaboration with the people we support and their families, and undertaking a successful recruitment campaign to appoint additional permanent team members who are helping to improve and maintain high standards of care.”