Care home ruled unsafe over meds
AN ORMSKIRK care home was slammed as unsafe after one resident was repeatedly deprived of antipsychotic medicine.
A report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in April graded Willow Lodge care home “inadequate“for safety based on an inspection carried out in December.
The Moss View care home was deemed to have made “significant omissions“over medicines and that people were not given their prescribed medication.
One person did not receive their antipsychotic medicine on 10 occasions within 28 ays.
The same resident was also deprived of a medicine to help manage distressed reactions on 12 occasions in the same period.
Another resident at the home did not receive their antidepressant treatment on three occasions over 28 days.
The CQC’s inspection on December 6 was unannounced.
The report identified a new electronic recording device as a potential reason for concerns over risks posed by unsafe medication management in the home.
According to the report, the device failed to account for the amount of medicine in stock, meaning that people were at risk of not receiving their medication as prescribed.
Staff were also found to have incorrectly coded medicine records, by noting that certain medication was not required when it had actually been prescribed on a regular basis.
Immediately after the CQC’s inspection the registered manager at Willow Lodge withdrew the electronic medicine system and reverted to paper records.
In a statement, the management at Willow Lodge said: “Willow Lodge management and owners are disappointed that the introduction of a highly proven electronic medicines system, was not successful in the service and was withdrawn in December 2016.
“We are proud to say that, although withdrawn from this site, our nursing team has continued to work with the systems manufacturer to improve the system for other users.
“The published report does state that the recommendations had all been fulfilled prior to publication, and the home is proud that the hard work of the staff has been recognised in both the Caring and Effective categories.
“The home is looking forward to further improvements in 2017.”
The CQC inspectors gave the care home a “good” grading in in effectiveness and caring. In terms of responsiveness and being well led it was deemed to require improvement.
The previous inspection of the home took place in 2015, when the CQC found several breaches of the Health and Social Care Act relating to safe care and treatment, dignity and respect and good governance.
Willow Lodge Nursing Home is based in a residential area of Ormskirk, close to the town centre.
It provides support for up to 22 people who need help with personal or nursing care needs and who are living with dementia-related conditions.