1 December 2011
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Continuum Care & Education Group in Warrington that it must take urgent action to address concerns at Rydal Avenue care home.
Inspectors found that the provider was failing to meet seven of the essential standards of quality and safety covering, respecting and Involvingpeople who use services, care and welfare, safeguarding, supporting workers, assessing and monitoring quality of service provision and records management.
The care home has beengiven seven days to produce plans to show how it will to achieve compliancewith these essential standards.
Inspectors carried out two visits in October 2010 and observed how people were being cared for. Iinspectors spoke to people living at the service, carers and staff, andchecked the provider’s records focusing on nine of the sixteen essential standards.This inspection was part of a planned review of the service.
CQC found major concerns at Rydal Avenue in six of the essential standards:
- Respecting and involving people who use services: Most people living at the home do not have choices regarding their care, treatment and support, and have not been treated with consideration and respect. Their dignity, privacy and independence have not been protected. The people that live at the home are not currently having their rights promoted and protected as adults.
- Care and welfare of people who use services: During our visit inspectors noted that care plans had been developed prior to the people in home reaching adult age and therefore the care and support planned related to the protection of children and young people under the age of 18. Care plans also showed incorrect information about medication regimes. Inspectors also noted that equipment that was recorded as being needed in August had not yet been delivered which could put people at risk from harm
- Safeguarding people who use services from abuse: Inspectors saw that some of the information contained in the safeguarding policy and procedure was incorrect. Ttraining records also demonstrated that none of the staff team currently working at Rydal Avenue had received training in adult protection. Restraint records did not contain sufficient information about how and when restraint techniques were and had been used. Staff records also showed that restraint training was also not up-to-date. For the protection of all it is essential that staff receive regular up-to-date training to ensure that they are aware of current good practice, their role and accountability when restraining people and changes to legislation.
- Supporting Staff: The home does not provideappropriate up-to-date training for their staff in the administration of medication and adult protection and only one member of staff had up to date training in intervention and restraint.
- Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision: During the visit inspectors observed that care plans, records, risk assessments, staff training and documents relating to incidents contained out of date information and were not being reviewed to establish the quality and effectiveness of the service provided at the home.
- Records: During the inspection the service failed to demonstrate that accurate up-to-date records of people's care and support needs were being regularly maintained, reviewed and monitored. Records of incidents and concerns were not being stored in a manner that protected people's personal information. For example, records of safeguarding allegations had been written in the complaints book that was available for all staff to access.
By law, providers of health care services have a legal responsibility to make sure they are meeting the essential standards of quality and safety.Rydal Avenuemust send CQC a report that says what action they are going to take to achieve compliance with these essential standards. We will check to make sure that the improvements have been made.
Westhead, Deborah, Regional Director of CQC in the North West, said:
“When our inspectors visited Rydal Avenue in October, they found that some staff lacked training any understanding of how to make sure that people were safeguarded and protected from harm.
“Care planning was either poor or non-existent. People living in the home are entitled to be looked after by properly trained staff and know that drugs are being given in a safe and appropriate way, and there was clear evidence this was not happening at Rydal Avenue.
“The Continuum Care & Education Group have provided us with a plan showing how they will comply with the standards. We will continue to monitor Rydal Avenue closely and will return to check that improvements have been made. If we find that Continuum Care & Education Group has not made sufficient progress, we will consider further action.”
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
Read the reports
Read the reports from our checks on standards at Rydal Avenue.