Nurse’s language skills so poor she had to use GoogleTranslate

ACARE home nurse used Google Translate because her grasp of English and Welsh was so poor, inspectors found.

Poor language skills caused problems when emergency and out-ofhours doctors were needed at Penrhos Polish Nursing and residential Home at Pwllheli in Gwynedd.

Many people at the home were also dehydrated, with some so thirsty their lips were cracked, inspectors said.

Drinks were left out of reach and there was an inadequate record of what fluids they had been given.

Care plans were inadequate and some residents with painful osteoporosis had not had pain relief assessed, a report from the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) says.

The home, which is registered to care for 44 pensioners, two younger adults and an older person needing dementia care, has been issued with a non-compliance notice highlighting its failure to meet regulations and requiring it to do so.

Inspectors said: “People cannot always be assured that they will be protected from harm”, and warned there was a lack of effective leadership and management.

There were 11 nurses working at the home and inspectors said: “Two of the nurses employed have very poor English language skills, of which one nurse has very little understanding of speaking, understanding and written English.

“Two care staff we spoke with told us that this caused difficulty, as they did not always understand what the nurses were saying and viceversa.

“We were told by two care staff one nurse has very little understanding of English and no Welsh language skills.

“The nurse uses Google Translate to get by on their shift. They informed us this has caused difficulties, especially when there have been times where there is a need to call emergency services or out-of-hours doctors.”

The report adds that the home’s deputy manager confirmed one nurse’s command of English language, both spoken and written, is poor, and confirmed this nurse uses Google Translate during the shift.

“The impact of this is that people cannot be assured that they are being cared for by staff who are competent in English or Welsh or have effective communication skills in order to deliver safe, effective care.

“This places people who use the service at risk of harm, as people do not always receive the appropriate care.”

Among other issues raised in the report was the lack of drinks provided to residents.

“Fluids recorded were inadequate and indicated dehydration for many people in the home. There was no evidence of nursing intervention to ensure people were receiving adequate fluids.

“We saw one person’s mid-morning cup of tea was left on their locker at 12.20 hours. The person required assistance, but staff had not helped this person.”

The report went on: “We saw that some people had fluids positioned out of their reach, resulting in them being unable to take a drink as needed.

“We saw that two people had dry mouths and cracked lips.”

No-one was available for comment at the home, which is run by a charitable foundation founded in 1949 to provide accommodation for Polish ex-servicemen and women in Britain after World War Two.

It is understood the nurse who relied on Google Translate is no longer working there and that action has been taken in response to the inspection which was carried out last November.