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

Thursday 19 January 2012

The Care Quality Commission is taking action to protect the safety and welfare of people living at a care home in Huyton-with-Roby, Liverpool.

In a report published this week, CQC inspectors identify a series of concerns found at Beechlands EMI Residential Care Home, requiring immediate improvements.

The Care Quality Commission has been working closely with Knowsley Council to ensure that residents are not at risk.

Inspectors found that the provider, Beechlands Care Home Limited, was failing to meet 14 nationals standards of quality and safety covering care and welfare, respect and involvement, nutrition, consent, safeguarding arrangements, safe surroundings and equipment, records management, cleanliness and infection control, management of medicines, care worker recruitment, support given to staff, and the monitoring of the quality of service provided. By law, providers of care services must ensure that they are meeting all standards.

This latest report follows an unannounced visit by inspectors on 8 November 2011 to follow up a previous review of compliance where concerns were found. The provider has been told to submit plans showing how they will achieve compliance with all the essential standards.

CQC has a range of legal powers it can use to protect the safety and welfare of people who use this service.

Among CQC‘s main concerns were:

• Care and welfare of people: Inspectors found that people living in the home did not always receive care or support that was appropriate to their needs. Care plans for people whose condition had changed did not have clear information that would help care workers to meet their needs. Several people living in the home had changes in their condition that the service had failed to recognise, such as weight loss and behavioural changes. Care plans were not accurate and had not been consistently updated.
• Meeting nutritional needs: People living in the service were not protected from the risks of inadequate nutrition and dehydration. Residents were not always given a choice of foods at meal times and those requiring special diets such as diabetic or soft diets were not adequately catered for, even though the home was aware of these needs. Regular weight checks were not in place and there was no evidence that the service was monitoring people’s risks of poor nutrition.
• Safety and suitability of premises: Inspectors found that the residents in the home were not in safe surroundings that promote their wellbeing. Some doors would not close, lights were not working, and furniture was damaged. Fire precautions were not adequate. After the inspection, CQC requested the fire officer visit the home to ensure safety standards were being fully met.
• Safeguarding: Not all staff had received appropriate safeguarding training and some were unclear as to how incidents should be appropriately managed.
• Medicines: Inspectors found that the storage and administration of medicines was poorly managed. Medicines were not stored securely and were assessable to anyone. Some medication was being stored at the wrong temperatures. Medication requirements contained within individual people’s care plans were not consistently followed.

Debbie Westhead, Interim Regional Director of CQC in the North West, said:

“When our inspectors visited Beechlands they found that care workers were trying to provide care to meet people’s individual needs, but did not have the skills, information or equipment required to do so. This cannot continue.

"While we found care workers were trying to support people’s needs, the overall standard of care at Beechlands was not good enough and staff appeared to lack an understanding that this was the case. Staff training was clearly insufficient, and the facilities were inadequate.

“The 13 people living in the home at present have all been assessed as having dementia care needs. These are frail, vulnerable people, and it is vital that care workers act in their best interests and are able to recognise and deal with their needs appropriately.

“We need to ensure that people living at the home are fully protected, which is why we have been working closely with the local authority and monitoring this home to ensure the necessary improvements are made and to ensure that people living there are not at immediate risk of harm.”

Ends

For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

Notes to editors