The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has again rated Aden House Care Home in Clayton West, Huddersfield, inadequate, and kept it in special measures to protect people following an inspection in February.
Aden House, run by Aden House Limited, provides personal care for up to 60 people, some of whom are living with dementia.
This inspection was carried out to follow up on action the provider was told to take at CQC’s previous inspection.
Following this inspection, the overall rating for the home is inadequate again, as well as the areas of safe, responsive, and well-led. Caring and effective have gone up from inadequate to 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 will be reported on when legally able to do so.
Sheila Grant, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said:
“When we inspected Aden House, it was disappointing that leaders had made little improvement or progress since we last inspected and we continued to identify repeated shortfalls that compromised the safety of people and the quality of care they were receiving.
“Leaders submitted an action plan following our previous inspection, yet we saw continued concerns relating to risk management, incident reporting, safeguarding, infection control, safe management of medicines, record keeping and person-centred care which must be addressed urgently.
“Understaffing remained a concern which posed a risk as many people required two staff members to support them due to their needs. This meant housekeeping staff were regularly asked to break from their cleaning duties to assist people with their meals.
“In addition, not all staff fully understood the needs of people living with dementia. The manager was aware of this, but no action had been taken and we continued to see people sitting in their rooms all day with no activities or stimulation.
“It was also concerning that people’s care records contained inaccurate and conflicting information. We saw a record for someone who was at risk of choking that contained inaccurate guidance on what food they could eat which placed them at risk of choking.
“However, we did see some improvements. At the last inspection, people had to wait a long time for drinks in the morning. At this inspection, we saw people had plenty of opportunity for drinks and snacks and all meals looked appetising.
“We also observed staff speaking to people in a kind, caring and respectful way. People and relatives told us staff were supportive and looked after them when they felt down or needed additional help.
“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:
- Accidents and incidents weren’t always recorded and appropriately reported
- People weren’t always supported to express their views and be actively involved in their care
- Systems and processes to safeguard people weren’t always effective
- People's care records weren’t always updated when they’d been involved in incidents of a safeguarding nature
- Medicines weren’t always managed safely which placed people at risk of harm
- Information in care records wasn’t available in adapted formats for people with advanced dementia
- There were no dementia friendly, sensory features incorporated into the design and décor on the dementia suite.
However:
- Staff were appropriately trained and received e-learning and face to face training. The manager was developing staff skills in dementia care
- Improvements had been made to the home décor and layout. It was homely with pictures on the walls and appropriate window coverings.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the next few days.