"Belvedere House Nursing Home, Bantead, Surrey"

Since the last CQC Inspection took place at the end of 2013 when all standards were met, Belvedere House Nursing Home has been the subject of a safeguarding investigation. This investigation was carried out by Surrey County Council in response to an alert by a Tissue Viability Nurse who was requested to visit the home in August 2014 in connection with pressure ulcers on my father’s body. The first pressure ulcer was first observed back in March 2014 and the situation became significantly worse due to poor management over a period of five months. The outcome of the safeguarding investigations found that there were failures at the home and concurred with the Tissue Viability Nurse’s original report in August 2014 that she had not been alerted to my father’s situation early enough by the nursing home staff. Additionally, it was found that the nursing staff required updated training in order to effectively treat pressure sores in the future.

Belvedere House Nursing Home comes under the umbrella of The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society and the patron is HRH The Princess Royal. It is well maintained, stands in lovely grounds and the staff are very friendly. Notwithstanding this, however, families of elderly relatives with complex needs who are considering Belvedere House should be rigorous about fully satisfying themselves that the nursing is now of the highest standard and that staff training is up to date particularly so far as pressure ulcers are concerned. Reliance on a CQC investigation report may not be current enough to provide these answers.

This posting is not intended to undermine in any way the hard work, willingness and kindness of the great majority of staff at Belvedere House.