A Portishead care home has been told it ‘requires improvement’ as a healthcare watchdog raises safety concerns, but its manager says ‘massive steps’ have been taken since it was rated inadequate last year.

Haven Lodge Care Centre, in Harbour Road, has made improvements to its service since the criticism in the past year after receiving an ‘inadequate’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November 2016 but it still is failing to meet ‘good’ industry standards.

Following the previous inspection, the CQC filed a notice of urgent action on and placed the service into special measures.

The home has now been visited again and has been told it ‘requires improvement’ but the registered manager said she is ‘really pleased’ with the result.

The CQC said the home needed to improve in three of the five measures: safety, effectiveness and leadership.

It says: “At this inspection while there were improvements there were still concerns relating to previous breaches including records which were inaccurate and incomplete.

“Most medicines were stored correctly and if required had their fridge temperatures monitored and recorded.

“However, we found people who had a thickening agent added to their drinks did not have this prescribed medicines stored correctly or safely.”

The CQC also noted occasions when records were not completed and some staff required training.

But the home has already begun to make steps in the right direction, achieving ‘good’ ratings for its care and responsiveness.

It says: “People received care which was respectful and kind and they felt staff treated them with dignity and respect. People and relatives felt the staff were kind, caring and supported them with what help they needed.”

Registered manager Fran Stockwell, who joined the team last year, said: “We have made massive steps towards improving our care. I have been in the home for a year trying to turn it around and I am really proud of the progress we have made this past year to build a good staff team and make changes.”

Fran said the home held a recruitment drive to gain trained staff and bring onboard home makers to organise activities for residents and now they have their sights set on an overall good rating.