'˜Nobody in charge' at Calderdale care home

Ingwood Nursing Home in Greetland was put into special measures and rated “inadequate” after a visit by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors criticised nutrition, the management of medicines, staff training and leadership at the home, which has since closed.

The Stainland Road home had no registered manager when CQC inspectors visited on November 19 last year.

Their report said: “There was no manager in place at the home and staff did not know who was in charge.”

Staffing was adequate and people working there were caring, but the report said: “Staff had not received the training they needed to support them in their roles.”

The report said people’s weight and what they were eating was not being properly monitored.

It said: “Food provided at the home was of a good standard but mealtimes were not managed well and staff had 
failed to make sure that all of the people who lived at the home received the nutrition they needed to maintain their health.”

During the inspection there were ten people living at Ingwood, which had space for 34 residents.

But owner Eldercare (Halifax) Ltd had decided to cease residential care there and was applying to cancel its CQC registration.

The report said: “In view of this the Commission took the decision not to take enforcement action against the provider in relation to Ingwood Nursing Home.”

The home was rated inadequate overall and for being safe, effective and well-led.

It was given a “requires improvement rating” for being responsive, but was rated good for being caring.

NHS bosses have raised fears that a nursing shortage is leading to unsafe conditions for care home residents in Calderdale.

Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which controls the local NHS budget, has launched urgent measures to help care homes improve.

A CCG report said members of its Quality Committee had expressed “serious concerns about the fragility of the care home market in Calderdale.”

The report said: “They noted that many care homes in the area were struggling to recruit and retain high quality nursing staff and this, amongst other issues, was impacting on the quality and consistency of care that is provided to residents.”

Action was being taken in partnership with Calderdale Council to help homes which were not up to standard, including clinical advice and training and more resources for care homes, the CCG said.

A spokesman added: “This is to help them to provide the best possible quality of care.

“We’re also making direct support available to individual homes to help manage specific issues where required, and working proactively to ensure that necessary improvements are made to safeguard patient care.”