Watchdog slams care home as ‘unsafe’

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Carr Green Nursing Home in September and took enforcement action in two areas: safety and suitability of premises, and assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.

Inspectors also noted that action was needed in three other aspects.

These included care and welfare of people who use services, cleanliness and infection control, and staffing.

Two inspectors from the CQC visited the care home, which looked after 15 people at the time, and they had received information of concern about the environment, staffing levels and provision of food.

In the CQC report, inspectors said: “We spoke with the registered manager and one of the housekeeping staff who both told us the domestic staff who worked at the home did not have enough time to clean the home properly.

“One member of staff said: ‘We don’t have enough time and can’t give every room a proper bottoming. We prioritise bins and sinks.’

“When we looked around the home we found there were areas that were not clean and were posing an infection control risk.

“We saw dirty and stained carpets in communal areas and in people’s bedrooms. There was also an odour of stale urine in certain areas.

“We asked staff if they had a carpet cleaner. They told us there was one but it didn’t work. This meant staff had no means of cleaning the carpeting in the home.”

Following the visit, an audit of equipment was made by the Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group lead who found faulty beds and worn pressure cushions. This meant equipment was not effectively reducing the identified risks.

When analysing the different aspects, the inspectors said: “The service was not safe. We found areas of the home were not clean.

“This meant people were not living in a clean and hygienic environment.

We found some areas of the building had not been well maintained or were unsuitable. This meant there were areas of the home which were unsafe. The service was not always effective. Staff were not attending training courses as they were not being paid for attending.

“This meant staff training may not be up to date. The service was not responsive. There were not enough staff on duty to provide appropriate activities for the people who lived there or to keep the home clean.

“There were no activities on offer to keep people stimulated and occupied.

“The service was not well led. Although there were procedures in place to monitor the quality of the service we found these were not always effective.

“This was because the provider failed to take appropriate action when issues were identified.”

However, the report did highlight that records showed people had regular access to healthcare professionals, such as GPs, dentists, podiatrists and opticians and the service was caring with staff knowing about the lives, interests and preferences of people in their care.

Inspectors noted that “staff treat people with patience, care and compassion”.

When contacted by the Echo, Carr Green Nursing Home declined to comment.