The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has again rated Bowland Lodge in Grainger Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, inadequate, and it remains in special measures to protect people following an inspection in April.
Bowland Lodge, run by Mr Ram Perkesh Malhotra & Mr Darshen Kumar Malhotra, is a residential care home providing accommodation for up to 36 people who require personal care, including people living with mental health conditions and dementia.
This inspection was carried out to follow up on concerns from a previous inspection. Inspectors looked at the areas of safe, effective and well-led.
Following this inspection, the overall rating for the home, as well as the areas of safe and well-led, have been rated inadequate again. Effective has been rated requires improvement again and the areas of caring and responsive remain requires improvement.
The service remains in special measures which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people safe and it will be monitored to check sufficient improvements have been made. CQC is also taking further regulatory action, which Bowland Lodge can appeal, and CQC will report on when legally able to do so.
Linda Hirst, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said:
“When we inspected Bowland Lodge, it was disappointing that despite some improvements being made since we last inspected, we continued to identify shortfalls that compromised people’s safety and wellbeing regarding medicines and risk management, and the safety of the environment.
“It was concerning that leaders hadn’t fixed some safety issues since our last inspection which could place people at risk of harm. These included a rotting and leaking window, unsafe access to the rear of the building, uncollected rubbish and an insecure drain cover. There was also an exposed circuit board in the passenger lift, a large crack in the lounge ceiling and a broken hoist in a bedroom.
“We also found medicine records with no dosage instructions and anomalies with stock counts which could place people at risk of receiving incorrect dosages. Some medicines in fridges were out of date and shouldn’t have been used.
“We did see, however, that leaders were working with partners to deliver improvements to the home. Progress had been made but further work was needed. Improvements were underway including an upgraded medicines treatment room, more accurate record keeping, completing essential maintenance and updating the environment.
“It was also positive that leaders had introduced a new digital care planning system which assessed and organised people’s care needs. Staff gave positive feedback about the registered manager’s leadership and changes they had made.
“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, widespread 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:
- People felt the quality and choice of meals needed improving.
- Managers didn’t understand their regulatory responsibilities and didn’t monitor safety at the service with their own audits or checks.
- Although people’s needs had been assessed, care plans weren’t always consistent or accurate.
- There wasn’t always guidance in place to support staff with the safe administration of medicines.
- Equipment wasn’t always clean and hygienic, we saw a stained shower chair, a stained lift door and clogged extractor fans.
However:
- The culture within the home was improving, with staff commenting the registered manager had fostered an open culture.
- Staff supported people to access external health and social care services, as needed.
- Inspectors heard positive feedback about the newly employed maintenance person and the improvements they had made.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the next few days.