‘Unsafe’ care home is put in special measures
ACARE home has been put into special measures after inspectors deemed the care facility unsafe.
Care staff at Springfield Park were observed ‘drag lifting’ residents, lacked awareness of their nutritional risks and staffing levels were described as ‘chaotic.’
An inspection, carried out by Care Quality Commission in May branded the nursing home ‘inadequate’ overall after concerns that residents were at risk of harm.
The report highlighted a number of issues with the way staff at the Bolton Road facility moved and handled care users who required assistance.
Staff were seen to move residents by placing their hands or arms under the person’s armpit - known as drag lifting.
The technique can often result in injury including dislocated joints, fractured bones, ruptured ligaments and skin tears.
One person’s feet did not safely reach the foot plates of their wheelchair and staff had instead placed a cushion under their feet, inspectors found.
When they asked the member of staff why this cushion was in place, they told them it was a ‘special’ cushion.
Deployment of staff at the home was described as ‘chaotic.’
Inspectors found that only one senior care assistant and a trainee were looking after the upper floor, despite being told that there should be three care assistants.
Staff were often found working in areas they
weren’t supposed to be, meaning they did not know the needs of people they were looking after.
The report stated that feedback about staffing levels was varied with nursing staff in particular voicing concerns about their ability to provide the care people needed.
One member of staff told inspectors: “There are just not enough nurses here to meet the needs of these people.”
Relatives were more negative about numbers of staff - particularly at night time.
One relative said: “I am how thick the drink needed to be to make it safe.
An audit of the way medicines were handled showed that staff were not always recording when creams and ointments were administered.
Staff were also unable to tell inspectors the temperature of the medicines storage room, meaning medicines could have been stored at a temperature which could impact their effectiveness.
Members of staff said they could identify signs of abuse but some expressed a worry about making reports, especially when it concerned other colleagues.
This was discussed with the registered manager who identified an isolated cause for this, assuring that steps were being taken to restore staff confidence.
The nursing home was rated as ‘requiring improvement’ for effectiveness, responsiveness and for care, dignity and respect.
It was deemed inadequate for safety and the way the care home is led, with an inadequate rating overall.
The care facility has now been placed into special measures and will be reviewed for the next six months until another inspection takes place.
A spokesperson for Select Healthcare LTD said: “We are disappointed to receive our CQC report and warning notices following our recent inspection.
“The report identifies, that out of the 5 key areas of compliance, we require improvement in three areas and are rated as inadequate in the other two areas.
“We have produced a robust action plan and have met and agreed this with CQC, Rochdale Council and other parties.
“As the inspection took place on the 28 and 30 May 2019, we have been working towards implementing these actions since then and are progressing well with this process.
“We have already started to receive positive feedback from different parties in relation to the changes/ improvements.
“We have been working closely with the Quality Assurance Team at Rochdale Council Adult Care Services and the local CCG and will continue to do so.
“Whilst we acknowledge the inadequate areas within the report, we are confident that Springfield Park can get back to reaching its full potential and provide the standard of care we expect within realistic timescales.
“We are here to answer any queries stakeholders may have and will continue to update all stakeholders with our progress.”