Nursing home ‘failed to see environmental risks’
Radiator and window safety ‘not mitigated’
A NURSING home has been told to improve after a visit from inspectors that was ‘prompted in part’ by the death of a resident.
St Mary’s Nursing Home in Stone was judged to be ‘requires improvement’ following a two-day inspection by Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The Margaret Street home had previously been rated ‘good’ in 2022.
Although the latest visit came following a death, inspectors said they ‘found no evidence’ that service users ‘were at risk of harm’ in relation ‘to the management of risk of moving and handling.’
The CQC has also since confirmed ‘no further action’ has been taken over the incident in which the resident died.
The inspection report said ‘a breach in relation to quality assurance systems’ had been found for ‘failing to identify and address environmental risks to people,’ such as hot radiators.
Despite this, the report also went on to say no residents had come to harm as a result of the issues.
It also described the home as having an ‘open and inclusive’ culture with residents, relatives and staff all ‘consistently complimentary about the service.’
The CQC report states: “The inspection was prompted in part by notification of an incident following which a person using the service died. This incident was subject to further investigation by the CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident.
“However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk of moving and handling. This inspection examined those risks. We found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from this concern.
“However, we found some environmental concerns. Following the inspection, the CQC determined they would take no further action taken in response to the incident.”
The report adds: “Environmental risks to people had not always been mitigated enough to make sure people would always be protected. This included hot radiators and pipes and windows without appropriate restrictors on.
St Mary’s Nursing Home.
“There were some omissions in the information about ‘when required’ medicines and some gaps in recording. However, no one had come to harm as a result of this.
“Quality assurance systems in place had failed to fully recognise and address risks to some people.
“Following feedback, all concerns were swiftly rectified by the registered manager and management team. Overall, medicines were managed safely.
“People and relatives consistently felt safe living in the home and felt positive about the care they received. Staff knew people well.
“Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and how to recognise potential abuse.
“Staff were safely recruited to ensure they were appropriate to support those using the service.
“There were enough staff to keep people safe.
“People, relatives, and staff were consistently complimentary about the service, the registered manager and management team.
“The culture was open and inclusive. People felt well cared for and all felt they could raise concerns if they needed to.”