‘BULLIED’ CARERS BOUGHT OWN PPE AS HOME MANAGERS ‘LOCKED IT AWAY’

CATALOGUE OF CONCERNS AS INSPECTORS GIVE INADEQUATE RATING

CARERS have s aid vital P PE was k ept “locked away” at a r esidential home, with managers questioning them when supplies ran out, writes Amy Orton.

Staff members told Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors on a r ecent visit to Stonesby H ouse, in S tonesby A venue, Leicester, they had been buying their o wn PPE in a bid to keep themselves and r esidents safe during the pandemic.

The inspectors visited after concerns were raised about ar eas including insufficien t staffing and poor infection control.

One carer told the CQ C: “They (management) don’t care about us or the r esidents; only using up PPE and the cost to replace it.” According to the CQC, staff said they were “bullied” when they raised concerns. A spokesman for the home said it was working “very closely with partners” to “put things right”.

CARERS have told inspectors PPE was kept “locked away” at a city residential home, with managers questioning them when supplies ran out.

One staff member told Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors on a recent visit to Stonesby House, in Stonesby Avenue, they were given just one mask for a 12-hour shift. Others said they had been buying their own PPE in a bid to keep themselves and residents safe during the pandemic.

The home was providing care for 13 adults who “may be living with mental health needs and/or learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder” in October and November when the CQC visited after concerns were logged with it about insufficient staffing numbers, poor infection control, a lack of staff training, poor and unsafe environment and poor leadership and management.

The report includes carers’ comments, with one telling the CQC: “The manager keeps questioning us why soap, gloves and masks are finished.

“They (management) don’t care about us or the residents; only using up PPE and the cost to replace it.”

Inspectors, who rated the home inadequate and recommended immediate action, also said they found “faecal matter” on a toilet frame, a used incontinence pad “that had faecal matter on it” next to a toilet and an “unpleasant odour” in another bedroom.

Staff said they were “bullied” when raising concerns and told inspectors: “Staff are fired for raising concerns. We’re not protected.”

Another comment was that the registered manager “says that’s the door, you can go”.

The CQC team also discovered two fire doors locked shut with a bike lock so as to keep two residents apart. This was one example of “inappropriate and unsafe strategies to manage incidents”, the inspectors said staff had developed.

Inspectors observed there was “a lack of effective training for staff to support people when they became distressed.

One staff member told the CQC they were told to use restraint, despite not being trained in safe methods.

Risk assessments were not completed, including for one resident who “frequently needed support and understanding when they become distressed and destroyed furniture or threw objects at others” and another, who was at risk of choking.

Infection control measures were criticised, with inspectors highlighting the lack of an area for staff to “don and doff” (personal protective equipment) their PPE. Their report said: “We observed poor practice where staff wore masks that were below their nose and some staff wore non-medical fabric masks.

“This meant people and staff were not protected from the control and spread of infection.”

Paper towels, hand washing facilities and hand gels were not available throughout most of the service, with one sink blocked by broken furniture and pots of paint.

A note in the report acknowledged that the provider installed wallmounted hand sanitisers and paper towel dispensers and that PPE was made more readily accessible to staff throughout the home after the first day CQC inspectors were on site.

Systems in place to ensure the proper and safe management of medicines were not robust, with inspectors finding out-of-date medicines. The CQC also said staff had been recruited without all the appropriate pre-employment checks.

On one day of the inspectors’ visit, there was a shortage of staff and they said a person who required two-to-one support did not receive it.

“We saw this individual needing support and understanding because they were distressed, and the staff member had to support them on their own due to the lack of staffing. This put the person, others and staff at risk of harm and injury,” inspectors said.

Staff told them: “We’re always shortstaffed. Should be nine in the morning but there’s only four.”

One said: “Mistakes are happening with medicines because staff are doing the medication rounds and having to do personal care, cooking and cleaning in between.”

Inspectors said there were “widespread and significant shortfalls in service leadership”.

They said: “The registered manager and provider did not fully understand the regulatory requirements regarding submitting legally required notifications to the (CQC) and other relevant authorities.

“They had not notified us of some incidents or allegations of abuse.”

The report also said there were issues with health and safety and “the safe management of legionella”.

The way management monitored staffing levels and interacted with other authorities was also noted as an issue.