10 February 2012
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Pinnacle Care Limited that they must make improvements at Wolston Grange to comply with the essential standards of quality and safety.
Inspectors have found that the care home on Coalpit Lane, Rugby, has failed to protect the safety and welfare of its residents.
A report published by CQC says that the provider was not meeting all six of the essential standards inspectors looked at and in five of these areas a major concern was identified.
Providers of care services have a legal responsibility to make sure they are meeting all essential standards of quality and safety.
The visit to Wolston Grange, which provides residential care, took place in October 2011 as part of CQC’s routine programme of inspections. When inspectors visited the care service they found the care provided was falling short of standards people should be able to expect and improvements were needed.The report, published on the CQC website highlights five major areas of concern:
Respecting and involving people who use services
No opportunities were in place for staff to support residents with social or recreational activities at the home. People were often sat bored in communal areas with nothing to do and nobody to engage with. Inspectors observed two occasions when residents called out for help and passing staff were too busy to assist.
Care and welfare of people who use services
Personal care needs of residents were varied. Some residents were well groomed but inspectors saw other people who had dirty fingernails, food around their mouths and some male residents were unshaven. Community psychiatric nurses shared their concerns about the way the care needs of those with dementia were managed at the home. For example, charts to monitor the level of people’s agitation and aggression were not being completed. This meant that staff were not analysing behaviour effectively and nothing was being identified to assist residents who required support.
Safeguarding people who use services from abuse
When inspectors arrived at the home, the front door was unlocked meaning people could enter the building unchallenged and walk around its communal areas. This raised concerns about the protection of vulnerable people from intruders. Also, staff had a limited awareness of whistleblowing and what agencies were available that they could refer safeguarding issues to.
Cleanliness and infection control
Inspectors said there was an unpleasant odour throughout the home, sofas were stained and smelled unpleasant, dining areas were dirty and chairs had leftover food debris on them. Toilets and shower areas were stained and covered in lime scale and one bathroom had dead insects around the bath. The laundry room was disorganised meaning the risk of cross contamination was high.
Staffing
Inspectors observed that staff were often too busy to respond to residents calling out to them. A lot of residents at the service appeared to be bored and unmotivated with no staff on hand to engage with them. For three days a week no cook was in place at the home meaning care staff had to undertake these duties on top of their usual tasks. On two occasions the service did not have a nurse on duty to administer insulin injections to those needing nursing care.
During their visit,inspectors also identified moderate concerns in relation to assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.
Andrea Gordon, Deputy Director of Operations (Central Region), said: “The failings at Pinnacle Care Limited are a real concern and improvements need to be made.
“CQC has been working closely with Warwickshire County Council to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people receiving this service and we have told the provider where they need to improve.
“Where improvements are not made we have a range of enforcement powers that can be used, including prosecution, closure or restriction of services.”
Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.
The provider has given CQC assurances since the inspection that they will work hard to improve the service and achieve compliance.
Ends
Notes to editors
For further information please contact Helen Gildersleeve, regional communications officer, on 0191 233 3379.
The CQC press office is also available on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.
Find out more
You can read more about our checks on standards at Wolston Grange or Pinnacle Care Limited.