Dementia care home in special measures
ADEMENTIA care home has been put in special measures after a damning inspection report.
Health and social care watchdog the Care Quality Commission uncovered a string of failings at Riverside Nursing Home, in Littleborough, Rochdale.
Inspectors found residents’ ‘privacy and dignity was being compromised... because people were being left in undignified situations’.
They witnessed one resident who was washed and given a change of clothes after having an accident while sat in a chair.
But inspectors wrote: “The chair and floor however were not cleaned before the person was repositioned in their urine covered chair. This did not protect their dignity or their well-being.”
The report added: “Personal care was not effectively delivered, there was a lack of consideration for the environment that people lived in and there were no locks on bedroom doors.” Other included: The ‘majority’ of staff weren’t trained to care for people with dementia Fire doors didn’t fully close Medical waste wasn’t being properly disposed of criticisms
The patio area was ‘littered with cigarette ends’ and ‘very dirty’
Hot radiators and hot water pipes were unguarded and some windows were without restrictors, which ‘posed a serious risk of harm to people’
The home now has six months to make improvements or the CQC has the power to close it down.
Riverside bosses described the findings as ‘upsetting’ but said the staff were now ‘working hard to resolve the issues identified’.
The CQC said there was ‘little to support’ residents, especially those with dementia, with ‘no established links with community organisations to either support alternative social networks or provide opportunities for a range of different activities for the people who used the service’.
Meal times were also criticised, with no menus, place settings or condi- ments found by inspectors, who said ‘The majority of people stayed in their lounge chairs to eat their meals’.
The Church Street home, which closed for three months after being badly damaged during the 2015 Boxing Day floods, was rated ‘inadequate’ in two of the five areas inspected and ‘requires improvement’ in the other three.
But the home, which is owned by family firm Dentak Care and Services and at the time of inspection had 22 residents, was found to have suitable arrangements in place to safeguard residents from abuse, the medication system was said to be safe and specialised training was provided to ensure staff were able to care for people who were very ill and needed ‘end of life’ care.
Business manager Natasha Khan said: “We are working with the council, who have been brilliant.
“Since the report we have gone from strength to strength.
“The silver lining in this is that it has got people feeling more driven to improve things.
“We have gone through the report, identified where the issues are and are working to improve things.
“I feel we are now CQC ready. I’m looking forward to the next inspection. I’d like the inspectors to come back as soon as possible because I’m sure they would see the improvements we’ve made.
“We have informed families of the report. All of them have said the home does not warrant this kind of outcome. Noone came back to us and said I can see why the CQC found that.”