CQC requires immediate improvement at a care home in Grimsby

4 April 2014

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is taking action to protect the safety and welfare of people living at Cranwell Court, Cambridge Road, Grimsby.

In a report published today, CQC inspectors identify the findings from an unannounced inspection of the home which took place in January and February 2014.

Visiting inspectors reviewed a sample of care records, observed how people were being cared for, and also spoke to residents living in the home, their relatives, and members of staff.

CQC found that the provider, Longhurst & Havelok Homes Limited, was failing to comply with national standards in six areas - Care and Welfare; Nutritional Needs; Safeguarding, Medicines management, Supporting workers and Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.

• Inspectors were concerned that inconsistent and outdated care plans and risk assessments were putting people at risk of not being provided with appropriate care and support.
• Some people with dementia were not always being supported to be able to eat and drink sufficient amounts, people’s weight loss was not always followed up and records indicated that some people who had required nutritional supplements were not receiving these as prescribed.
• Inspectors found that staff and managers at the home did not ensure through robust risk assessments and incident recording, that the use of restraint was appropriate, reasonable and justifiable to the people who used the service.
• Instructions for staff to administer medicines to be given “as required” were not always clear and medication records contained gaps in relation to administration so it was not always possible to tell whether medicines had been given as prescribed.
• Inspectors found that some staff had not received adequate training and staff were not sufficiently supported to carry out their roles.
• The home did not effectively monitor the quality of service being provided and systems in place to manage risks or improve the service by learning from incidents or errors were limited.

As a result of the inspection, CQC has issued three formal warnings to the provider requiring improvements in relation to care and welfare of people who use services, safeguarding of people who use services from abuse and assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.

The home must also take action to address shortfalls against the additional three standards that are not being met.

Debbie Westhead, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North said:

“This multiple shortfall against national standards is unacceptable and we have warned Cranwell Court that immediate improvements must be made.

“We continue to monitor the situation carefully and we will inspect again in the near future to ensure residents are being given 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 Officer, Kirstin Hannaford on 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:

You can find reports on this provider at: Cranwell Court.