‘Inadequate’ care home is put into special measures
ACARE home rated ‘inadequate’ for the second time in eight months by an independent regulator has been placed into special measures.
Belvedere Care Home on Wellington Street in Accrington has been ordered to make ‘significant improvement’s over the next six months by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) or face enforcement action and possibly closure.
Inspectors found some bedrooms ‘smelled strongly of urine’ and there were ‘significant gaps in training’ to meet the needs of people with health issues.
However registered manager Francesca Windsor disputed many of the CQC’s findings and said they are now ‘fully compliant’.
The care home was previously rated ‘inadequate’ in May 2018 before being told it ‘required improvement’ in August 2018.
However in a CQC report published this month following an inspection in November, the CQC said the service has ‘deteriorated’ since the August inspection. Their report said: “Risks were not identified, managed or monitored to ensure people were safe. “Medicines were not always managed safely, in particular the use of thickeners. The service had deteriorated in relation to the skills, knowledge and experience of staff members.
“Care plans did not con- sistently identify desired outcomes for people. People were not consistently supported to eat and drink enough throughout the day. People were not always supported to express their views or be involved in making decisions about their care.
“There was a lack of meaningful activities to keep people stimulated and prevent boredom. The registered manager lacked knowledge around the regulations, legislation and best practice guidance.”
Inspectors said people using the service and family members told the CQC that they ‘felt safe’ and staff were ‘respectful of people’s privacy and dignity’.
They added: “People told us staff were kind and caring and positive interac- tions were observed during our inspection.”
Ms Windsor said it is ‘unfortunate that we have gone back to inadequate’.
She said: “We are fully compliant at this moment. We have made a lot of changes since the inspection and if we had another inspection next week we would be okay.
“In the report it said about rooms smelling of urine but the inspectors came at 8am when our residents get up and most of them are incontinent. If they came at 10am or 11am it would be different.
“They were also critical of the training but I explained that it was fully up to date but the staff had not yet received their certificates.”
She added that they had since arrived.