A care provider which had failed repeatedly to comply with national standards, relating to the safe administration and management of medicines, has been issued with a fine totalling £4,000 by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
CQC has issued a fixed penalty notice to Amrit Limited following a series of inspections at Safe Harbour Dementia Care Home in Bebington, Merseyside.
An inspection in October 2013 identified concerns regarding the processes in place to ensure that people living at the home were protected against the risks associated with the unsafe use and management of medicines
A warning notice was served to the provider on 5 December 2013 requiring them to address the issues as a matter of urgency. However, when inspectors returned on 19 February 2014 and 2 June 2014, the necessary improvements had not been made. In light of this continued failure to meet the legally required national standards, CQC has issued a fixed penalty notice of £4000, which the provider has accepted and paid.
CQC has since re-inspected and continue to have concerns. Should the required improvements not be made CQC has a range of enforcement powers which include restricting the services that a provider can offer, or, in the most serious cases, suspending or cancelling a service.
The reports from CQC's inspections in February and June 2014 have been published on the CQC website.
Debbie Westhead, CQC's Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North said:
"It is the provider's legal duty to ensure that they have appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines in a safe way and to ensure that people living at the home receive effective and safe care.
"We inspected Safe Harbour Dementia Care Home in October 2013 and found concerns about the management of medicine.
"It was unacceptable that following two subsequent visits we found that residents were still not receiving medication properly, in line with legal requirements.
"The decision to fine this provider sends a clear message that we will not tolerate poor care and will act when concerns are identified to ensure the safety of people who use care services.
"We are monitoring Safe Harbour Dementia Care Home closely to check on their progress and if the required improvements have not been met we will consider the use of further enforcement action."
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For further information please contact the CQC press office can be contacted on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.
Find out more
Read our inspection report on Safe Harbour Dementia Care Home.