A STRUGGLING care home can take in patients funded by Essex County Council again after a positive inspection.

Attwoods Manor Care Home was rated inadequate last September after nine breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2014 were discovered by Care Quality Commission inspectors.

The home was placed into special measures and a ban on admissions funded by Essex County Council was put in place.

A follow-up visit in December found the home, in Mount Hill, Halstead, was not implementing improvement steps identified in its action plan.

However, a report published last week reveals inspectors returned again in February and found a number of improvements had been made across the home.

The home’s rating has risen from inadequate to requires improvement.

In terms of the leadership in the home, Attwoods Manor had previously been rated as inadequate, but has been bumped up to requires improvement.

The report stated: “The manager was making an impact on the service and working through the action plan to demonstrate how the service was being effectively managed.

“We identified improvements had been made in every area we inspect against which is encouraging.

“However we need to be confident the provider can sustain these improvements.”

In regards to safety, inspectors found that after serious concerns in December, systems were now in place to audit medication, while risks to people’s safety were documented and steps taken to minimise risks.

The report stated the service was mostly caring, although people’s privacy was sometimes violated, with reports of a resident “bed-hopping” throughout the night.

Inspectors also found feedback on the home had improved, stating: “Feedback about the service was positive with increased communication with people and their families about their care needs and the running and management of the service.”

Manager Wendy Walker said: “I am pleased to see that our latest CQC Inspection report reflects the hard work and commitment that has gone in to improving our services at Attwoods Manor.

“My care team and I will continue to work closely in partnership with our regulators and Essex County Council to strive towards meeting our future goals.

“We have had our admission status returned so I am delighted to say that once again we can offer our facilities to our community.”