3 October 2011
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told the owners of two care homes at Leeds in Yorkshire that they must make immediate improvements – or face legal action.
Inspectors from CQC found that Bywater Lodge and Bywater Hall Care Homes, both on Leeds Road, Allerton Bywater, Castleford, were failing to meet the Government's essential standards of quality and safety.
Their reports identify concerns with a range of issues including cleanliness and infection control, staffing, management of medicines, care and welfare of people and nutrition. In total, the provider, Tri-Care Limited, is failing to comply with nine standards at Bywater Lodge and eight standards at Bywater Hall. By law, providers of care services have a responsibility to make sure they are meeting the essential standards of quality and safety.
Immediately after the inspection, CQC gave the company 10 days to provide a report showing how it would address the most serious failures. It has now been told to show how it will comply with all the standards.
Leeds City Council has stopped admissions to both homes, which can normally accommodate up to 88 people. Since the inspection CQC has been working with the NHS, the city council and other agencies under safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety of all residents.
The CQC reports list a series of concerns that can be found below.
Respecting and involving people
Inspectors said that people at both homes did not have their privacy, dignity and independence respected, nor were their views and experiences taken into account in the way the service is provided and delivered. Staff told inspectors they would not place any of their family members at Bywater Lodge.
Care and welfare of people
People in both homes did not experience effective, safe and appropriate care, treatment and support that meets their needs and protects their rights.
Meeting nutritional needs
People were not being given adequate nutrition and hydration. In Bywater Hall, inspectors found that staff did not understand how to help people at risk of malnourishment.
Safeguarding people from abuse
Inspectors said that safeguarding incidents had not been properly reported and people in both homes were not being protected from the risk of abuse. The provider was not acting to identify and prevent abuse from happening in the service and they did not respond appropriately when it was suspected.
Cleanliness and infection control
Inspectors found that systems designed to assess the risk of infection and to prevent and control the spread of a health care associated infection were ineffective. In the reception and communal areas of both homes, there was a strong offensive odour, which was also found in all the bedrooms inspected. Mattresses were soaking and furniture soiled. On the day of the inspection, there was an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting at Bywater Hall, which spread to Bywater Lodge.
Management of medicines
The report concludes that both homes were failing to protect people in the recording, handling, administration and use of medicines. In Bywater Hall, an examination of nine people's records showed that seven people had not been given their medicine as prescribed at some time during the last six weeks. At Bywater Lodge, the acting manager told inspectors she had no confidence in anyone at the home to safely dispense any medication.
Staffing
The inspectors said there were not enough staff with the right knowledge, experience, qualifications and skills to provide adequate care and to champion the less experienced carers. In Bywater Lodge, staff said that morale was not good, the training was inefficient and the management was not effective.
Assessing and monitoring the quality of service
The provider did not effectively monitor the quality of service that people receive. Nor did it identify, and manage risks to residents, staff or visitors. The systems to improve the service by learning from incidents, errors and near misses that happen were ineffective.
Safety of premises
Inspectors said that residents of Bywater Lodge were not in safe, accessible surroundings that promote their wellbeing. On the day of the inspection, the fire alarm sounded - but there was confusion among those staff who heard it and there was no response. Only 13 per cent of staff had fire training.
Jo Dent, Regional Director for CQC in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region said: “The care at both Bywater Lodge and Bywater Hall is nowhere near good enough. These reports paint a grim picture of the care endured by people living there, which is totally unacceptable.
"It is even more disturbing when you consider that many of the residents in these homes are frail, vulnerable people who are the least able to complain about the indignities and the unhygienic environment, even though this is their permanent residence.
“We need to ensure that people living at these homes are not at any immediate risk of harm, which is why we have been working closely with the city council, the NHS and others. If there was evidence that people were at risk, we would take further action.
“We have received an immediate undertaking from Tri-Care Limited that they will not admit any more people to this nursing home while these improvements are being addressed. We will continue to monitor this service very closely to ensure this happens.
“Our inspectors have already returned to Bywater Lodge and Bywater Hall. We will inspect again in the near future and if we find that the home is not making progress we won’t hesitate to use our legal powers on behalf of the people who live there.”
Ends
For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.
Notes to editors
Read the report
Read the reports from our checks on standards at: