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

22 January 2014

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

In a report which is published today, CQC inspectors identified a series of concerns at Elaine House Care Home in Lynemouth.

When they visited the home in December 2013 inspectors found that the provider, Mrs Parveen Kaur Dulai, was failing to meet all six of the national standards reviewed:

• 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.
• Care plans and risk assessments were not always being kept up to date and there was evidence of deterioration in people’s health and wellbeing which was not being robustly addressed.
• Inspectors found the provider had failed to ensure that all parts of the building were maintained in good physical repair and condition
• There was insufficient equipment to promote the comfort and dignity and independence of people living in the home.
• There were not enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to ensure that people’s individual needs were being met, and not all staff had received up to date training.
• Staff records and records relating to the management of the service contained inaccuracies and some 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, safety and suitability of premises and safety and suitability of equipment.

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

“The quality of service being provided to the residents of Elaine House was just not good enough. We have warned the provider that improvements must be made.

“We 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 are published on our website here.