Inspectors find little progress at struggling care home

SOME FAILINGS PUT PATIENTS IN DANGER

A health watchdog has threatened further action against a county care home which has repeatedly been rated as “inadequate”.

Inspectors for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that people staying in Pinglenook Residential Home in Barrow upon Soar were “at risk of receiving unsafe care”.

The Sileby Road home is already in special measures, but the CQC has said it will take further enforcement action if the home has not improved by the date of its next inspection.

Pinglenook, pictured, provides residential and personal care for over-65s, including those with dementia.

The CQC has rated it as inadequate in five out of six inspection reports since September 2020.

During their most recent visit, in October, inspectors found a number of areas of concern, including problems with care plans, such as “contradictory information” that put a resident with choking issues at risk of harm.

Another patient struggled with episodes of distress and anxiety, but the CQC found staff had not kept a record of their triggers to prevent them from happening again.

There were also issues with infection prevention, and fluid intake records were not being completed regularly, meaning residents were at risk of dehydration and a potential worsening of their existing health conditions.

Inspectors did, however, note some improvements at Pinglenook, including the completion of a fire risk assessment and the monitoring of water temperatures.

Staff were also positive about the training they had received.

Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: “When we inspected Pinglenook Residential Home, we were disappointed to see that little improvement had been made since we last inspected.

“Leaders need to focus on making immediate improvements to ensure people receive safe and appropriate care. It was concerning that when people with complex needs required support, the provider failed to develop care plans to guide staff how to support them.

“This meant people were at risk of receiving unsafe care and signs of deterioration in their health condition being missed. We’ll continue to monitor the service closely to ensure the necessary improvements are made and people are kept safe. If improvements are not made by the time we next inspect, we will not hesitate to take further enforcement action.”

Pinglenook Residential Home has been asked for a comment.