A RETIREMENT village where residents worry about staffing issues has been told to improve by health watchdogs.

Bishopstoke Park in Bishopstoke, Eastleigh, has been rated 'requires improvement' in its latest CQC report.

The retirement village on Garnier Drive is made up of privately owned apartments and a registered residential care home.

Anchor Hanover Group provides a personal care service to people living in their own apartments.

Three out of five categories - safe, responsive and well-led - were rated 'requires improvement'.

The other two - effective and caring - were rated 'good'.

Inspectors found that residents, relatives and staff members had concerns about the level of staffing.

One member of staff told inspectors that there were not enough staff.

They said: "Evenings are particularly difficult, though it works there is no backup if something goes wrong."

Another said that staff in the evening could feel "forgotten about sometimes".

Inspectors found that some staff said they felt there should be two staff on duty at night at weekends.

Staff told inspectors that if the lone member of staff had to call an ambulance and was put on hold, this would have an impact on their capacity to deliver care visits.

They also said there was not a clear policy regarding whether or not the staff member needed to stay with a person who had a fall, while waiting for an ambulance or other support.

One member of staff told inspectors that they felt "pressured to do extra hours", and relatives said they had concerns about staffing at weekends and in the evening.

Staff also said they were "unclear" about what the provider's policy was regarding people's medicines.

They told inspectors that sometimes the pharmacist had asked staff to accept people's medicines.

The staff were not sure if they should be doing this.

District manager Joanna McNeil-Jones said: "We are disappointed by the findings of this report and are committed to following the Care Quality Commission’s guidance on areas where we can make improvements and are already implementing changes at the location.

"We are pleased that the report contained areas of positive feedback from residents and relatives who use our services, acknowledging the dedication of staff.

"Our residents’ wellbeing is always paramount."

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook