Kentish Express Ashford & District
Care home must continue to make improvements
Inspectors say a care home plagued by problems continues to face closure and will remain in special measures until improvements are made.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Woodchurch House in Woodchurch in May to review the standards offered to its 50 residents.
In their report, issued earlier this month, inspectors continued to find serious problems, with the home rated as inadequate in three out of five categories, and requiring improvement in the other two.
The inspectors first rated the care home as inadequate in April 2016. It followed a total of 34 deaths at the home in 2015. It was branded as unsafe, ineffective and inadequate in every area.
A report in October found that staff had made improvements, but the home was put back into special measures in December.
Now, CQC inspectors have raised further concerns about residents’ safety and wellbeing. They found that one patient had not been checked for gaps of up to five hours, and found “there were not enough care staff deployed to meet people’s needs promptly”.
It meant that meals became “chaotic” as some residents waited 40 minutes to get food.
There were problems with whether residents were getting enough water and whether they were being fed the right diet, with one losing 5kg in body weight.
Some staff didn’t have a good command of English. One was asked what they would do if they saw a colleague pushing a resident, and replied, “ok, no problem”.
The report also noted: “At our last inspection, choking risks to people had not been properly assessed or minimised. At this inspection the situation had not improved sufficiently and some people remained at risk.”
They also found delays in the call bells being answered, which meant “people’s dignity was not preserved if they became incontinent”.
But the inspectors did note some improvements and wrote: “People and relatives told us staff were kind, considerate and caring. We observed staff treating people with gentleness and patience throughout the inspection.”
The CQC says the home will be inspected again within six months, and if improvements are not made, it could be shut down.