The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told the providers of Prospect House Care Home, St Helen’s that they must make improvements to protect the safety and welfare of people living there.
CQC carried out its most recent inspection on 21 and 22 July. Inspectors found that the care being provided by Ms Maureen Bromley & Mr Neil Malkhandi, the provider, was failing to provide care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive or well led.
The report published by CQC can be found on this website.
During the inspection CQC identified multiple breaches of regulations, overall the service has been rated as Inadequate and placed in special measures.
Some of the findings from the latest inspection included:
Medicines were not always stored safely. The temperature of the medication fridge was above the required temperature for storing medication, sometimes ranging two and a half degrees Celsius over the recommended limit. Medicines can spoil and become unfit for use if they are not kept at the correct temperature.
Parts of the environment were not secure, and placed people at risk of injury. The main access to the stairs required the use of a key fob, and we found this door was kept secure. However access to the stairs could be gained via the downstairs shower room which had two access points, both of which were kept unlocked. This meant that there was a potential risk of people injuring themselves on the stairs.
A CQC spokesperson for Adult Social Care in the North, said:
“The care provided at Prospect House Care Home was of a very poor standard. My inspectors found that parts of the environment were dirty and unclean, and there was a malodour throughout the service. This is unacceptable.
“The provider has a number of issues it must address. During the inspection we observed that there were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs. However staff had not received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and not all of them were aware of their roles and responsibilities in relation to this.
“The registered provider is required to carry out tests to the water system to ensure that water remains free from harmful bacteria. This had not been done, and no risk assessment had been carried out to determine the frequency around how often these tests needed to be completed. It was clear therefore that measures were not in place to prevent the risk of infection.
“People are entitled to services that deliver consistently good care and with an overall rating of Inadequate, Prospect House Care Home, will be placed into special measures by CQC. This regime is designed to make sure there is a timely and coordinated response to inadequate care and we will use it alongside our enforcement policy.
“We have been working with St Helen’s Council to ensure that people living at the home are not at undue risk. We will continue to monitor this care home. CQC will consider the appropriate regulatory response to resolve the problems found.”
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For further information, please contact CQC Regional Engagement Manager David Fryer on 07901 514220.
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