The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has taken further action to protect people at Waverley Care Home in Sefton Park, Liverpool, following an inspection in November where the home was rated inadequate.
Waverley Care Home, run by Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, provides accommodation and nursing care for up to 20 people.
The inspection was undertaken to follow up on warning notices that were issued at the last inspection, Inspectors looked at the areas of safe and well-led.
Following the inspection, the overall rating for the home is inadequate, as well as the areas of safe and well-led. The service was previously rated inadequate overall, and for being safe and well-led, and requires improvement for being effective, responsive and caring.
The service remains 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 the provider's 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 Waverley Care Home, whilst some improvements had been made regarding care plans and medication, the home remained an unsafe environment for people to live. Leaders must ensure the urgent building improvements are made so nobody comes to harm.
“For example, the home weren’t protecting people from being scalded by hot water. Hot water temperatures in bedrooms and bathrooms were running above the required limit placing people at risk of scalding. We also saw one bathroom with a sharp corner on a broken bath which could cause a skin tear if someone brushed past it. The radiator cover in the same bathroom wasn’t fixed to the wall and fell off when we touched it which could injure someone.
“We saw mouldy window ledges and curtains hanging off their fittings and not covering the windows adequately in some people’s bedrooms. This is a service people call home and their bedrooms should be safe, clean, and welcoming which wasn’t the case.
“Waverley were using the dining room as a storeroom meaning people only had access to one communal area where most people spent the day. The dining experience we observed was very institutionalised and there was no opportunity for people to sit at tables and chat which placed them at risk of social isolation.
“However, it was positive to see staff working hard to ensure people were treated with kindness, and we saw staff speaking to people respectfully throughout our visit.
“We will continue to monitor the service closely to ensure the necessary safety improvements are made as a matter of urgency. If improvements are not made by the time we next inspect, we will not hesitate to take further enforcement action.”
Inspectors found:
- Meals were poorly presented and didn’t look appetising
- The communal lounge people sat in, ate in and completed activities had electrical plug socket wires trailing across the floor, meaning people were at risk of tripping over
- There was no maintenance person in post, and we saw outstanding jobs such as holes in the ceiling which had not been fixed
- Records and oversight of people's needs were disorganised
- The main staircase leading to the lower ground of the home was coming away from the wall which could harm someone
- There was no incident and accident analysis taking place, meaning inspectors couldn’t be certain action had been taken.
However:
- People were supported to receive their medicines safely
- The provider ensured there were enough staff on duty
- People were able to receive visitors without restrictions in line with best practice guidance.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the next few days.