CQC demands action to improve services at Aldershot care home

29 March 2011

Remyck House is failing to meet eight essential standards.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told an Aldershot care home that it is failing to meet eight essential standards in quality and safety and must take swift action to address major concerns in seven key areas of care.

Following an inspection of Remyck House care home, CQC inspectors found that care is falling far short of the essential standards of quality and safety people should be able to expect.

Remyck House is a privately owned care home registered to provide residential care for up to twenty nine older persons, some of whom may have dementia.

CQC reviewed all the information it holds about this provider and carried out a visit in December 2010. It observed how people were being cared for, talked to people who use services, talked to staff, checked the provider’s records, and looked at records of service users.

CQC found that Remyck House was not meeting eight essential standards and had major concerns in seven areas:

• Care and welfare of people who use services: People are not receiving regular reviews of their needs and any associated risks. The quality of care being provided is poor; care plans are inadequate, incomplete and inconsistent with the physical, mental and social needs of the residents and do not reflect the wishes of the residents.
• Meeting nutritional needs: People are at risk of poor nutrition and dehydration due to poor food stocks and menu planning at the home. Residents are not provided with realistic menus nor offered a choice of food and it is not clear how their diverse needs are being met as a result of the lack of adequate arrangements in place.
• Cleanliness and infection control: People are at risk of acquiring an infection due to poor standards of cleanliness in communal areas and in rooms made ready for new residents. There is no evidence of compliance with the Department of Health’s Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.
• Management of medicines: There is no evidence of policies and procedures being implemented to ensure staff are aware of the need for safe storing handling, administration, recording and disposal of residents’ unwanted medication.
• Staffing: There was insufficient staffing at the home and agency staff were employed without the right knowledge, experience, qualifications and skills to support people.
• Supporting workers: People were at risk as staff were not properly supported, nor trained or supervised to deliver good care.
• Records: Records being kept at the home were incomplete, out of date and did not reflect a true picture of the assessed needs of residents and the care being delivered.

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the Care Quality Commission has a number of enforcement powers that enable it to act swiftly when services are failing people. These include issuing warning notices, restricting the services that a provider can offer or the way it is provided; or, in the most serious cases, suspending or cancelling a service. CQC can also issue financial penalty notices and cautions or prosecute the provider for failing to meet essential standards.

CQC Regional Director for the South East, Roxy Boyce, said: “The care at Remyck House has fallen far short of the standards people have a right to expect.

“The law says these are the standards that everyone should be able to expect when they receive care. Providers have a duty to ensure they are compliant – or face the consequences.

“Our inspectors will return to Remyck House shortly, and if we find that the home is not making progress we won’t hesitate to take enforcement action on behalf of the people who live there.”

Ends

For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9239 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

Notes to editors