dementia patients were ‘at risk’
DEMENTIA patients were at risk of ‘social isolation’ and ‘significant injury or ill-health’ due to failings at a Trafford care home, according to a damning watchdog report.
Serious concerns about Shawe Lodge Nursing Home in Urmston were raised by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors. Problems with suppliers to the home, who stopped food due to unpaid bills, were revealed.
Residents at Shawe Lodge, which cared for up to 41 people with dementia, were uprooted last month when the home and its sister site Shawe House, in Flixton, shut.
At the time, bosses at operator Shawe House Care blamed ‘chronic underfunding of care for older people.’
They said rates paid to them by the authorities in Trafford fell below what was needed. Trafford council chiefs disputed the claim, adding that Shawe Lodge and Shawe House both received funds ‘above our normal set rate.’
The CQC has now published a report which reveals the true extent of ‘serious failings’ at the home.
The service has been found to be ‘inadequate’ and Shawe Lodge has been placed into special measures, despite its closure. CQC bosses will now look to de-register the provider so it can no longer operate care homes.
During the latest inspection, the watchdog found breaches including:
People with dementia being at risk of ‘significant injury and or ill-health’ as the building and facilities had not been maintained to the required standard
People did not always receive safe care and treatment
Equipment was in a poor state of repair and there were poor practices for infection control and hygiene due to insufficient cleaning, continence care supplies and communal and toiletries
Several times, night-time medications were recorded as being administered, but tablets remained in the blister pack
Catering staff were not kept fully informed of people’s dietary needs
People were at greater risk of choking as food and fluids were not being thickened as guidelines dictated
Instructions from other health professionals were not always followed
One man, who had a family member living at Shawe Lodge, said: “They’re not cabbages, they are aware of what is going on.”
Shawe House Care did not respond to numerous requests for comment.