Staffordshire care home has failed to protect people’s safety and welfare says regulator

31 May 2013

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has warned the owner of Bearwood House Residential Care Home they must make improvements to comply with the national standards of quality and safety.

During an unannounced inspection at the home, in Bearwood Hill Road, Winshill, Burton upon Trent, the provider was found to be failing to meet all five of the national standards of care and safety assessed.

Providers of care services have a legal responsibility to make sure they are meeting all national standards of quality and safety.

When inspectors visited the home, on 17 April, they found the care provided was falling short of standards people should be able to expect and improvements were needed.

As a result CQC issued warnings to the home demanding it made improvements relating to the care and welfare of people who use services and requirements relating to workers.

What inspectors found:

Care and welfare of people who use services

Inspectors observed people being lifted from their wheelchairs by staff holding them under their arms. This was not safe practice because it increased the risk of injury.

Care records did not provide sufficient information to enable staff to support people effectively and safely. Staff told inspectors they were unsure about certain resident’s medical conditions because they were given no instructions, support or guidance.

Additionally, there was no system in place to ensure people were receiving the necessary fluids to keep them hydrated. Records for fluid intake were inconsistent and incomplete.

Management of medicines

One member of staff had been administering medication before receiving any training. This meant people using the service were potentially placed at risk.

Inspectors also observed staff signing medical records prior to medication being given. This meant that medication was not recorded in the appropriate manner, meaning an increased risk of a drugs error.

Requirements relating to workers

Some staff files contained no application forms, references or updated disclosure and barring checks (DBS). There was also no evidence that staff had completed health questionnaires to ensure they were fit and suitable to work at the home.

Staffing

There were not enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. Some residents told inspectors that they were often ignored because staff did not have time to attend to everybody individually.

Staffing levels should reflect the dependency levels of people and should be reviewed on a daily basis. Due to CQC’s concerns relating to this, inspectors raised a safeguarding referral to the local authority on the day of the inspection.

Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision

At CQC’s last inspection, it was noted that the home needed to produce an annual statement regarding the outcome of questionnaires. This had still not been done. Evaluation should be shared with residents to demonstrate they were included in the process.

Andrea Gordon, Deputy Director of Operations (regions) for CQC, said: “The repeated failings at Bearwood House Residential Care Home are a real concern and immediate improvements need to be made.

“CQC has been working closely with the local authority to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people receiving care at Bearwood House Residential Care Home and we have told the provider where they must improve.

“Our inspectors will return in the near future and if we find the required progress is not made we won’t hesitate to take further action where necessary.”

Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.

Bearwood House Residential Care Home offers accommodation and personal care to people to 21 people.

Ends

For further information please contact Helen Gildersleeve, regional communications officer, on 0191 2333379 or the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

Notes to editors

You can read the full report at the Bearwood House Residential Care Home page.