The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Stonedale Lodge in Croxteth, Liverpool, inadequate, and placed it in special measures to protect people following an inspection in December.
Stonedale Lodge Care Home, ran by Advinia Care Homes Limited, provides personal and nursing care to up to 150 older people, including those living with dementia.
This inspection was prompted in part by an increase in concerns around staffing and the care being provided to people. Inspectors looked at the areas of safe, caring, and well-led.
Following the inspection, the overall rating for the home is inadequate, as well as the areas of safe, and well-led. Caring is rated requires improvement. Effective and responsive weren’t inspected so remain rated requires improvement. The service was previously rated requires improvement overall, and for being safe, effective, responsive, and well-led. Caring was rated as good.
The service has been placed in special measures which means it will be kept under close review to make sure people are safe and, if CQC do not propose to cancel their registration, there will be a re-inspection to check for significant improvements.
Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said:
“When we inspected Stonedale Lodge, we found several areas of concern that leaders need to address to ensure people receive safe and effective care.
“It was concerning that people’s individual health needs weren’t consistently being managed appropriately which placed them at risk of harm.
“We saw one person at risk of a stroke, needed their blood pressure taken regularly. This wasn’t happening routinely and when it was identified as being high, no action was taken to seek healthcare advice. Another person who was assessed as requiring a high fibre diet to help support their medical condition wasn’t always getting this which put them at risk of developing further complications such as constipation.
“This is a place people call home and people being kept clean and hygienic is a basic care need people should be able to expect as an absolute minimum. However, we saw some people looking unkempt with dirty fingernails and unbrushed teeth. We also saw that beds had been made but many had stained pillowcases meaning they hadn’t been washed for a while.
“It was positive, however, that there had been efforts from the manager to implement structure at the home and improve areas of concerns, and staff spoke positively about this, but it was too early to see any real progress.
“We have told leaders where we expect to see improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time. We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to take further action if people aren’t receiving the care they have a right to expect.”
Inspectors found:
- Medications weren’t always given in line with best practice guidance and exposed people to the risk of harm
- One person told staff they were cold and asked for a duvet but had not received one
- Governance and quality assurance systems were in place but ineffective
- There were systems in place to help identify and report abuse, however they weren’t always used effectively and there were some missed opportunities to safeguard people from harm
- People diagnosed with diabetes weren’t always managed appropriately
- Care records didn’t always talk about people in a respectful manner.
However:
- People described staff as kind and caring
- People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible
- Relatives said they felt involved in their family member’s care.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the next few days.