Lady Ida Lodge: Staff 'missed calls' for help from Leeds care home residents as inspectors issue warning

The Care Quality Commission, which inspects care settings, issued Lady Ida Lodge with a “Requires Improvement” rating, following an inspection on January 26 – during which inspectors raised concerns over the recording of falls and calls to residents being rushed or finished early.

Run by Housing 21, the care home offers independent living with access to on-site care for people over the age of 55, with up to 64 one and two bedroom apartments available.

Inspectors said: “People provided mixed feedback about the reliability of their care calls. Some people described having missed calls with no prior warning and others experienced calls which were not on time. The oversight of these calls required improvement to ensure the system of recording was robust.”

Concerns were also raised over the facility’s complaints process with inspectors noting that issues raised were “not recorded and not always responded to.”

Residents provided mixed feedback about the quality of care provided by staff, with inspectors recording that residents were “largely pleased” with support from regular staff, but shared examples of concerns over agency worker practice. Further concerns were raised over the care home’s risk management with inspectors identifying issues with protocols in place for falls. They added: “Risks to people were not always managed well. The post falls protocol was not being followed in one case. People had risk assessments in place which explained how to reduce risks to people, but these were not being updated in response to key events.”

Following the “Requires Improvement” rating, Housing 21 has vowed to work closely with the CQC to “address and resolve their outstanding concerns.”

A spokesperson told the YEP: “The safety and welfare of our residents is our top priority, and we are working closely with the Care Quality Commission to address and resolve their outstanding concerns.

"We have – and continue to – recruit new, permanent Care Workers to reduce the reliance on agency workers and improve the consistency of care to all residents in accordance with CQC standards.”