Under-fire care home still needs to improve

ARUNCORN care home that was told by the regulator in January that it needed to improve in all areas still has problems, according to inspectors following a return visit.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Beechcroft in Palacefields had made progress but shortcomings remained in its safety practices and leadership. Its inspection report said the service was ‘not safe’. Problems included a resident being given a stronger laxative than they were supposed to receive, there was no information about safe blood sugar ranges for diabetics, the medicines records had gaps in them and a nurse was seen to sign the record before the resident had consumed their medication rather than after.

The CQC reported that Beechcroft had committed a regulations breach by not administering time-critical medicines within 15 minutes of them being prescribed.

A further breach was noted when the inspectors found the area for storing medicines was ‘dirty’, the floor was ‘sticky’ and ‘grimy’ and the trolley had ‘ingrained dirt’ around the rim.

Rules for reducing cross-infection were not being followed either, with doors of patients with an infection left open instead of closed.

There were some signs of recovery being made at Beechcroft, and it was graded ‘good’ in three categories: how effective, caring and responsive the service is.

The CQC said there were 51 residents staying at the home at the time of the inspection.

Halton Borough Council had raised concerns with the regulator before the inspection and placed Beechcroft on an improvement plan and limited work placements to one a week. Some good areas of practice were noted. Among them, the CQC report said: “People were treated with respect and the staff understood how to provide care in a dignified manner and respected people’s right to privacy. “The handling of complaints had also improved. “People that were able to talk to us said they were happy in the home and with the people that cared for them.

“The interactions we observed between people and staff were positive.”

A spokesman for HC-One, the firm that runs Beechcroft, said action is under way to rectify outstanding issues.

He said: “Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and wellbeing of the people we support.

“We are very pleased to have received a ‘good’ rating in the areas of effectiveness, caring and responsiveness for the care we provide.

“We take all feedback from the regulator very seriously and since the last inspection in July, we have been working closely with the CQC and the relevant authorities to address the areas requiring improvement.

“We have implemented a robust action plan and the home manager is being supported by the wider regional team. “We are pleased with the progress that is being made. “We are continuing to work closely with the CQC, local authorities and relatives groups as we strive to provide the high quality care that residents expect and deserve.

“We look forward to welcoming the CQC back to the home in the near future.

“We are confident that our new manager in the home will continue to lead the team delivering further improvements.”