A NURSING home in Steeton has been judged to be 'good' by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The regulator carried out an unannounced inspection at Steeton Court Nursing Home last month, following on from a previous visit in May.

A CQC spokesman said a number of improvements had been implemented at the home since the previous assessment.

The inspector's report concluded: "At the last inspection on May 21, we found care was not consistently delivered to meet people’s individual needs and preferences, as some people on the first floor area were receiving bed baths as early as 4.30am.

"Staff told us this was done to take the pressure off day staff. However, this demonstrated a task-orientated culture and a lack of a personalised approach to care.

"At this inspection, we found improvements had been made.

"Staff we spoke with told us there was no longer a requirement to ensure a certain number of people were got up before the day shift started. They told us there was now a more person-centred approach to assist people in line with their individual needs and preferences.

"Care records we viewed confirmed this to be the case, showing people were regularly checked throughout the night and then offered assistance with personal hygiene, washing and dressing when they needed it. Three people we spoke with told us they were able to get up when they wanted to."

The inspector also noted the May visit had found pressure-relieving mattresses were not always set correctly, resulting in a risk they may not be effective in helping to reduce the risk of skin breakdown.

The report from the latest assessment stated: "At this inspection, we found a robust system had been put in place to regularly check mattresses to ensure they were correctly set.

"Records we viewed confirmed these checks were taking place. We looked at a sample of nine mattresses and found them to be on the correct setting, indicating this system was effective."

The CQC noted an earlier issue relating to documents missing from care records had also been dealt with.

Their report stated: "We found this had been addressed by the registered manager and appropriate plans of care were now in place. Care records we looked at were subject to regular review and kept up-to-date.

"A more robust system of checking care records had been put in place to reduce the risk of future deficiencies in care planning."

Steeton Court Nursing Home, in Steeton Hall Gardens, looks after up to 71 older people at any one time.

Steeton Court declined to comment about the report.