Tower Bridge Care Home: Healthwatch Southwark publishes report

Healthwatch Southwark, which examines local health and care services from the perspective of patients and the general public, used its statutory powers to visit the Tower Bridge Care Home at Bricklayers Arms last November.

The home is only nursing home in Southwark available to residents who receive public funds for their care. At the time of the Healthwatch visit, the home had 117 residents.

Four staff and two volunteers took part in the visit and a 46-page report was published at the end of May, with 26 recommendations for the home's owner HC-One.

The recommendations cover a range of issues from staffing to food and security to hygiene.

A spokeswoman for HC-One said: "The health, safety and wellbeing of our residents is always our number one priority.

"We are pleased that Healthwatch Southwark's report recognised that our staff are 'helpful and caring' and that the home was described as 'safe, appropriate and comfortable'.

"We are continuing to address and sustain the recommendations suggested by Healthwatch Southwark and, since the visit, we have reduced our reliance on agency staff so that residents receive greater continuity and quality of care across all areas.

"We acknowledge that further steps need to be taken, however. The home is being led by our dedicated home manager and actively supported in the implementation of a comprehensive improvement plan by our regional team.

"We are working closely with the local authority and are confident that we can build upon the positive developments made so far."