A care home for young people with mental health needs and learning disabilities has been told it needs to improve the way it handles controlled drugs.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found that the way residents’ medicines at Beckdale House in Sale ‘were not always safe’.

It provides care for nine young people, some of whom have conditions such as autism, but at the time of the inspection between November 30 and December 6 2023, seven people were using the service.

The home run by Care Netwrok Solutions Ltd was assessed overall as ‘requires improvement’ and got the same grading in the sub-categories of safety and leadership.

However, for effectiveness, the standard of care and responsiveness, it was deemed to be ‘good’.

The CQC report said: “Systems and processes to manage people’s medicines were not always effective.

“People were empowered to make meaningful decisions and choices. Their needs were assessed, risks were identified, and steps were taken to keep them safe, and these systems were being embedded.”

It said that care was ‘person-centred’ and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights.

“People were protected from all forms of abuse and discrimination by the dedicated staff team,” the report continued.

“Governance oversight and quality assurance systems were not robust enough to identify for shortfalls. We have identified a breach in relation to safe care and treatment at this inspection.”

The report said that the storage of controlled drugs did not meet the Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973.

“Shortly after our inspection a new controlled drugs cupboard was installed and this met the required regulation,” it continued.

“Staff were not always following national good practice guidance when supporting people with their medicines. For example, one person’s controlled medicine was not recorded in the controlled drugs books and we identified this person had missed a dose of their medicine due to stock not being ordered in a timely manner.

“We found gaps in medicines administration records. Some medicines that were administered had not been signed as given. Also, entries in the contr54olled drugs book were at times not completed in line with national guidance.

“One person would often refuse certain medicines. We found the service had not been proactive at informing the person’s GP in order to have their medicine reviewed.”

But the report said the CQC found no evidence that people had been harmed.

A spokesperson for Care Network Solutions Ltde, which operates the home, said: “We are disappointed with the outcome of the most recent CQC inspection and apologise for falling below the high standards by which we hold ourselves. The issues identified during the inspection process were actioned immediately, and we would welcome the Care Quality Commission to revisit and inspect.

“It was nice to note that the CQC acknowledged the eradication of restrictive practices at the home and acknowledged that people were supported to live healthy lives, with individuals having choice and control of their lives.

“It was additionally reassuring for the CQC to acknowledge the good interactions between the staff and residents. These relationships have created a caring atmosphere, with the manager instilling a culture within which people feel valued.”