The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Hill Care 1 Limited, provider of services for Lever Edge Care Home, Bolton that it must make improvements to protect the safety and welfare of people living there.
CQC carried out an inspection on 12 November 2015 and an inspection report was initially published with a ‘good rating’. However, this report was suppressed following an incident involving a police investigation that raised concerns about documentation falsification.
The report published by CQC can be found at: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-135650827.
It includes information from the inspection in November 2015 and a further inspection day in February 2016, at which CQC reviewed certain aspects of the care provided in response to the information that had been brought to CQC’s attention.
During this visit, inspectors found that regulations had not been met in eleven instances, including breaches relating to the safe administration of medicines, having sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff, staff receiving the appropriate level of training and support to ensure they had the skills to care for people effectively, person centred care, complaints and good governance.
Inspectors noted a significant number of training records had been falsified, meaning that many staff did not have the correct skills and knowledge to carry out their duties effectively. There were a significant number of occasions when there were not sufficient numbers of experienced and suitably trained staff on duty to support people safely and effectively.
Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North, said:
"We found that staff at the home did not have the specialist training and skills required to help ensure people who were poorly and needed end of life care were supported appropriately.
“Falsification of records is also unacceptable and the care our inspectors saw being provided at Lever Edge Care Home falls a long way short of what we expect services to provide which is why we have placed it into special measures.
“We have been working with Bolton Council to ensure that people living at the home are not at undue risk and we will continue to monitor this care home and will not hesitate to use our enforcement powers”.
Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.
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For further information please contact CQC Regional Engagement Manager David Fryer 07901514220 or Kerri James on 07464 92 9966 Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here. Please note: the press office is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters.
For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.
Find out more
Read reports from our checks on the standards at Lever Edge Care Home