CQC acts to protect the safety and welfare of people at a care home in Hartlepool

15 January 2014

CQC acts to protect the safety and welfare of people at a care home in Hartlepool

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is taking action to protect the safety and welfare of people living in a care home in Hartlepool.

In a report which is published today, CQC inspectors identify a series of concerns at Ascot Nursing Home, Hutton Avenue in Hartlepool. CQC is liaising closely with Hartlepool Borough Council and local commissioners to ensure people are not at risk of harm.

When they visited the home in November 2013 inspectors found that the provider, Mr Ariyanayagam Uruthiraneson, was failing to meet all seven of the national standards reviewed.

By law, providers of care services must ensure that they are meeting all standards.

Inspectors reviewed a sample of care and treatment records, observed how care was being delivered, and spoke with people living in the home and their relatives as well as members of staff. As a result they found that improvements were required in a number of areas.

• The planning and delivery of care did not always meet people’s individual needs and proper steps were not being taken to ensure their safety and welfare.
• Appropriate systems were not in place to assess and monitor the quality of service being provided, or to identify, assess and manage the risks relating to the health, welfare and safety of people living in the home.
• People living in the home were not being given the opportunity to offer feedback or express their views about the service they received.
• Where incidents occurred in the home these were recorded, however there was no evidence of any learning from these incidents or actions taken to prevent reoccurrence.
• Care plans lacked detail, contained contradictory information and did not always accurately reflect people’s needs.
• Personal care records were not always being stored securely, and staff recruitment records could not be located when requested by visiting inspectors.

As a result of the inspection, CQC has issued three formal warnings to the provider, requiring improvements in relation to standards of care and welfare and staffing.

Malcolm Bower-Brown, CQC’s Regional Director for the North said:

“The failings at Ascot Nursing Home are unacceptable. We have told the provider very clearly where improvements must be made.

“We have recently returned to the home to check on progress and will inspect again in the near future. If we find the home has not made the required improvements we will consider the need for further regulatory action.

“In the meantime, we continue to monitor the home very closely, liaising with local commissioners to ensure residents receive the service they are entitled to expect.”

Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.

Ends

For further information please contact the CQC Regional Communications Team, David Fryer 07901 514 220 or Kirstin Hannaford 0191 233 3629.

The CQC press office can be contacted on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Further details of the inspectors’ findings at Ascot Nursing Home - Hartlepool can be found on our website here.