Care home elderly ‘at risk of abuse and malnutrition’
ACARE home which looks after vulnerable people with dementia and mental illnesses has been threatened with closure after inspectors found a catalogue of ‘horrifying’ failures.
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that some residents at Lyme Green Hall, on London Road, had been given the wrong dosage of medication while others were ‘at risk of malnutrition and abuse’ while under the home’s care.
Council bosses have now suspended the care home from making new admissions.
The report found that a single member of staff was left to care for 17 people.
One inspector was forced to intervene when a resident was at immediate risk of falling without a member of staff on hand and then had to wait 13 minutes for support.
The damning report, which found the Sutton home to be ‘inadequate’ in all areas, was the result of a series of unannounced inspections after concerns were raised on behalf of several people who used the service.
The care provider has been told that as part of the special measures they will be kept under review and must be found to be ‘significantly improving’.
Otherwise enforcement action could be taken by the commission which could include closing the care home, which can cater for up to 60 residents.
Councillor Hilda Gaddum, who represents the Sutton ward, described the report as ‘horrifying’.
She said: “The relatives of people being cared for expect their loved ones to be treated well. These are elderly people, many with dementia who are among the most vulnerable. I would hope immediate improvements are being made as a result of this report.”
CQC inspectors said in their report: “We found that the service was not safe, effective, caring, responsive or well-led.
“There was an insufficient number of suitably trained and competent staff on duty to meet the needs of the 49 people who lived at the home.
“Care staff were unable to administer people’s medicines safely and effectively. There was no medicines policy and any training staff had received had proved to be inadequate.
“One person had been given too high a dose of one of their medicines on three consecutive days.
“The staff member responsible told us they had not read the pharmacy label properly.
“Another person was not receiving one of their prescribed eye drops or the correct dose of another eye drop.
“Over a period of time this could harm their sight.”
It continued: “Vulnerable people remained at risk of abuse because staff failed to take action as soon as they were alerted to alleged or actual abuse.
“Recruitment and selection of staff was not always carried out safely, which meant vulnerable people were at risk of receiving care from unsuitable people.”
The report is equally scathing about the food, saying residents were “at risk of malnutrition” because there was no effective monitoring of the dietary intake and weights of people concerned.
The report said some staff said they had never seen patients’ care plans or they did not get time to read them.
It said: “We found that staff had developed inappropriate care practices that restricted people’s freedom of movement or left them at risk of harm,.
“These included moving a person’s zimmer frame away from them to prevent them from attempting to walk and not allowing a person to sit at the dining table in an attempt to avoid confrontation.”
Councillor Janet Clowes, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for adult social care and integration, said: “We are working closely with the management team at Lyme Green Hall and are undertaking regular checks to ensure that the home is operating safely. Lyme Green Hall remains subject to a suspension for all admissions, which has been agreed with the CQC and the council.”