30 November 2011
The Care Quality Commission has told Solor Care Limited that it must take immediate action to improve services at Melbreck nursing home in Farnham, Surrey.
When they visited the home in September, inspectors found that the provider was failing to meet nine of the essential standards of quality and safety, covering care and welfare of people, respect for individual rights, nutrition, safeguarding people from abuse, management of medicines, supporting staff, record keeping, management and monitoring of service provision. By law, providers of care services must ensure that they are meeting all the essential standards.
The home provides care and support to 26 adults with multiple and complex needs. The report, which is published today by CQC, follows an unannounced inspection of the home in response to concerns raised. CQC has been working with the provider and with Surrey County Council to ensure people living at the home are not at risk of immediate harm.
Among CQC’s concerns were:
- Care and welfare of people: Inspectors identified that the home had failed to make sure that people were protected against the risk of receiving unsafe or inappropriate care. Care plans and risk assessments were not up to date, which made it difficult to assess if care and treatment was appropriate.
- Respecting people’s rights: Inspectors found evidence to show that some people using the service were not being supported in making decisions and choices. The right to respect, privacy and dignity was not always respected.
- Meeting nutritional needs: Inspectors found that the provider did not have an effective system in place at the home to ensure that people living there were well nourished and hydrated.
- Management of medicines: Inspectors found that arrangements for the administration of medicines were poorly managed. One chart recorded that a person had not been given medication because an agency nurse could not find it.
- Supporting staff: Staff told inspectors that they did not feel supported by management, and that handovers between shifts had not been formalised. Inspectors observed that staff were reluctant to talk openly about their difficulties for fear of reprisal.
- Monitoring of service provision: Inspectors found that an effective system to regularly identify, monitor and manage risks and monitor the quality of the service was not in place.
A further inspection has since taken place at Melbreck at which some improvements were found, although more are needed to achieve compliance with all the essential standards. This report will be published on the CQC website in due course.
Ian Biggs, Deputy Director of CQC in the South, said:
“When our inspectors visited Melbreck in September, they found that nine of the essential standards were not being met. This is very worrying, and could not be allowed to continue.
“Management of medicines was of serious concern. It is clearly not acceptable for an individual not to be given their medication because a member of staff, whether agency or not, cannot find it. When they visited the home in September, our inspectors found it very difficult to tell whether safe and appropriate care and treatment was being provided because record keeping was so poor.
“We have asked Solor Care Limited to provide us with a plan showing how they will comply with the standards, which they have done, and inspectors have already been back to the home to check on progress. We will continue to monitor Melbreck closely, and will not hesitate to use our legal powers to ensure the safety and welfare of the people living there if we need to.”
Ends
For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9239 or out of hours on 07917 232143.
Notes to editors
Read the reports
Read the reports from our checks on standards at Melbreck.