Improve or enforcement action could follow, CQC tells Albany Nursing Home

1 July 2011

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told the Albany Nursing Home that if it does not take immediate steps to improve, the regulator could take enforcement action.

Following a visit on 5 May 2011, CQC inspectors found that the care provided fell far short of the essential standards of quality and safety people should be able to expect from a care home.

The Albany Nursing Home is owned by Trinity Care (Crown) Limited (part of the Southern Cross Healthcare Group). It is registered to care for 48 older people.

CQC has told Trinity Care that it will be monitoring Albany Nursing Home closely and will hold it to account if improvements are not made swiftly. The regulator will not hesitate to take enforcement action to ensure the safety of people who use services, staff and the public.

The CQC report, which is published today, highlights five areas of major concern.

• Cleanliness and infection control
  Inspectors found that the home did not maintain an adequate system or practices for providing a clean and hygienic environment. There were areas of the home that were dirty: sinks, toilet pans and washing machines were not adequately cleaned, and bed frames and under mattresses were not regularly cleaned. Not all staff were aware of the how to manage infection control appropriately.
• Management of medicines
  The practices for medication administration in the home put the people who use the service at risk. Medications were not stored appropriately, creams and medications were not always given to the correct person and nutritional supplement prescriptions were not always ordered in sufficient time to ensure that people received the treatment they were prescribed.
• Safety and suitability of premises
  Both the emergency lighting system and the boilers in the home were not working consistently, meaning that residents were at times without hot water or heating and at risk in the event of a power cut.
• Safety, availability and suitability of equipment
  The home had not ensured that mechanical hoists were repaired quickly and were safe to use, and handrails in some of the en suite bathrooms were not securely fitted to the walls.
• Staffing
  The home did not have the number of staff on duty at all times to meet the needs of the people living there. Staffing levels at night compromised the care and support provided to people, and there were not enough domestic staff employed to maintain an adequate standard of hygiene in the home.

CQC Regional Director for the South East, Roxy Boyce, said: “We have been pressing Trinity Care to improve the care offered at Albany Nursing Home, but standards of care are still not good enough. We will monitor them closely and won’t hesitate to use our enforcement powers to ensure the safety of people who use these services if we need to.”

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.

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