‘Inadequate’ rating for home where resident drank sanitiser

A CARE home where a resident with dementia drank hand sanitiser has been handed the lowest rating possible and placed in special measures by a watchdog.

Rowley House Nursing Home in Stafford provides nursing care to people aged 65 and over and has been given an overall rating of ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

CQC inspectors visited and noted residents with diabetes were at “significant risk of harm” as no care plans or risk assessments were in place, lessons were not learned when things went wrong and people were not receiving their medicines as prescribed.

Staff were not wearing enhanced PPE while helping a resident who was re-admitted to the home with Covid after a stay in hospital, as they and the registered manager were unaware of the resident’s positive test.

A report said people who inspectors spoke to described the home as “terrible” and “lonely”.

It said: “One person told us, ‘It’s terrible here. I get meals but it’s usually the opposite to what I asked for.’ Another person told us, ‘It’s very lonely here, it’s the same day in day out.”

A resident living with dementia had drunk hand sanitiser and no action had been taken to seek medical advice or reduce future risk, inspectors said. During the inspection they saw 11 bottles of hand sanitiser around the area this person who was unsupervised by staff.

The watchdog raised this with the provider and registered manager who told inspectors they were not able to move the hand sanitiser as staff required access to this. It was only on the insistence of inspectors that this was removed. It took 18 days for action to be taken.

A spokesman for Rowley House Nursing Home said: “We are very disappointed with the outcome of our recent inspection and have worked tirelessly to make improvements and to change our systems and processes to ensure we are fully compliant with the health and social care regulations.”