The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated St George’s Home in Solihull, inadequate and placed it in special measures to protect people following an inspection in April.
This unannounced inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the quality and safety of the service provided.
The care home, run by St George’s Care Limited, provides accommodation and personal care for up to 29 people and was providing care for 24 people at the time of the inspection.
As well as the overall rating dropping from requires improvement to inadequate following this inspection, safe, effective and well-led have also declined from requires improvement to inadequate. The rating for how caring and responsive the service is was not inspected on this occasion. Therefore, they remain rated as good and requires improvement respectively.
The service is now in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people safe and re-inspected to check sufficient improvements have been made.
Sonia Brooks, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said:
“When we inspected St George’s Home, we found lessons hadn’t been learned since our last inspection. The quality and safety of the service had deteriorated even more, and some previous standards hadn’t been maintained.
“The provider’s continued poor management meant they hadn’t realised their policies and procedures weren’t being followed, including medicines management and safe staff recruitment which puts people at risk of harm.
“They weren’t providing a hygienic place for people to live. There were areas of the home, including bedrooms, which were dirty. We found rusty equipment and chipped and scuffed paintwork which can’t be cleaned easily to prevent and control the spread of infections. We also saw clothing that wasn’t being cleaned in line with best practice. This wasn’t the first time we had brought this to the home’s attention as it was something we had flagged during our last inspection and still hadn’t been actioned.
“Inspectors still found fire safety concerns which also hadn’t been addressed since our last inspections. For example, fire doors were wedged or propped open which was unsafe as the doors couldn’t close in the event of a fire. A specialist fire safety company had also confirmed they weren’t meeting requirements to keep people safe and hadn’t made the necessary changes to mitigate any risks to people.
“Following our inspection, we reported our findings to the provider, so they know the areas where we expect to see rapid improvement. If sufficient progress has not been made, we will not hesitate to take further action to ensure people’s safety and well-being.”
Inspectors found:
- The provider’s oversight of the service provided was poor and the manager lacked knowledge of regulatory requirements which meant opportunities to make improvements were missed
- Information staff needed to help them provide safe care was not always available to them and staff did not always follow instructions to manage risks associated with people's care
- Medicines were not managed safely in line with the providers policies and best practice medicines guidance
- The provider's recruitment practices were not safe
- Areas of the home were dirty, and improvements required in relation to the prevention and control of infection had not been made
- People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice
- Staff were not suitably trained to meet people's needs
- Most people and their relatives told inspectors staff provided effective care, but the lack of staff training negatively impacted on people's safety and experiences and training staff had completed was not always effective
- The environment did not support people's sensory needs and sufficient signage was not in people to help people orientate themselves around their home
- Some relatives told inspectors the environment needed to be redecorated to ensure the home was a nice place for people to live. Observations confirmed redecoration and refurbishment was needed.
- People spoke positively about the food and drinks provided, however the mealtime experience needed to be improved.
However:
- The management team were being supported and were working closely with local authorities to improve outcomes for people
- People had access to health professionals which supported their health and wellbeing
- Relatives told inspectors the manager was approachable and that communication between them and the service was good.