20 April 2012
Lyme Green Hall care home in Macclesfield is not meeting five essential standards.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told the owners of Lyme Green Hall in Macclesfield they must make improvements to comply with the essential standards of quality and safety.
A report which is published today identifies the findings from a CQC inspection carried out on 7 March 2012.
When they visited Lyme Green Hall, inspectors found that the provider was failing to meet five essential standards, and in three of these areas they identified major concerns.
As a result CQC has been working closely with Cheshire East Counciland the owners of the home to ensure that improvements are made and the safety and wellbeing of all residents is fully protected.
The unannounced visit to Lyme Green Hall took place in response to concerns that had been raised about standards of care.
Thereport, published on the CQC website, highlights the following areas of concern:
Care and welfare of people who use services
Inspectors found that care plans and risk assessments did not identify all the needs of the people living in the home and were not being updated following changes in individuals’ needs. Relatives of two residents told inspectors that they felt that standards of care were deteriorating, and visiting social care professionals expressed concerns that poor care planning was putting people living at the home at risk of their health care needs not being fully met.
Staffing
During their visit inspectors observed that there was an insufficient number of staff on duty to meet the needs of all 49 residents currently living there. Many of the people living in the home were frail and suffered from dementia or short-term memory problems, however not all staff had received specific training on dementia care. Staffing records also indicated that no staff training had taken place regarding infection control measures, catheter care, or diabetic care management.
Since CQC’s visit the registered provider has given the Commission assurances that staffing levels will be increased.
Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision
Inspectors found that the provider did not have systems in place for monitoring the quality of service being provided. Although routine maintenance checks were being conducted, hazards identified as a result of these checks were not always addressed. Regular medication audits, infection control checks and health and safety reviews were not taking place, and the manager advised that there had been no survey of residents views on the quality of care facilities or service provision for over a year.
Ann Ford, CQC Head of Compliance in the North West region, said:
“The standards of care we found when we visited Lyme Green Hall were worrying. The safety of people living at the home is paramount and it was clear that improvements needed to be made.
“Since our inspection, we have been working closely with the local authority to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people living at the home and we have told the provider where they need to take action.
“The provider has recently submitted an improvement plan outlining the steps they are taking to ensure that they are fully compliant with national standards.
“While we are encouraged by progress, we will continue to monitor the home very closely. If we find that they are failing to meet the essential standards of quality and safety that we demand, we will not hesitate to take further action to protect the people that live there.”
Any regulatory decision CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.
Ends
The CQC press office can be contacted on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.
Notes to editors
Read the reports
Read the reports from our checks on standards at Lyme Green Hall.