There is a “negative culture” at a care home which is “not always clean”, inspectors found.

East Dean Grange Care Home, Eastbourne, was rated requires improvement following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) between April and June.

Inspectors said the home, in Lower Street, was “not always clean and tidy” and some areas “posed a fire risk”, although they said this was addressed immediately following a first site visit.

The CQC found two breaches of regulation.

“We undertook this assessment as we had received some information of concern regarding the negative culture within the home in particular around staff,” said the report.

“The home was also registered under a new provider therefore required an assessment to be rated. We found two breaches of the legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, and governance. Infection prevention and control measures were not robust.

“Wound care was not robust and documentation around this needed improvement.

“Governance systems and audits were not effective in identifying or addressing areas for improvement and there was a negative culture at the home between staff and management.

“The provider was receptive to our feedback and had started implementing improvements quickly. There were changes made to the managerial structure.

“We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment and how they will embed improvements into practice.”

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Residents told inspectors they felt safe at the home and spoke positively about staff.

“We observed staff treating people with kindness and compassion,” the report said.

“Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about people's care and support needs.

“Feedback from staff and relatives regarding staffing levels was mixed, some people felt there were enough staff and others disagreed. Our observations highlighted that staff were not always deployed in the best way to maximise interactions between staff and people.

“People and relatives said they were happy to raise any issues or concerns with staff team and felt these would be dealt with appropriately.

“Feedback we received from statutory partners stated they had good relationships with staff and management and the service was responsive and managed people with risks well.”