News
Care home residents left vulnerable in “safest small town in the North West”
A Cumbrian care home has been left reeling after a CQC inspection found that the facility “requires improvement”. Particularly damning was the CQC’s finding that residents at The Old Vicarage care home in Askham- in-Furness, named by a recent survey as “the number one safest small town in the North- West of England”, who had tested positive for Covid, were able to continue mixing freely with residents with a negative status. The inspection came after the CQC were
made aware of concerns about the running of the home, particularly regarding the key issue of infection control. In the event, the Commission noted that residents were able to move freely around the home’s two lounges regardless of whether they were Covid positive or negative, and that social distancing guidelines were ignored, putting residents “at high risk of being infected”. The director of the home, Geoff Slater,
chalked the failings up to the fact that, on the day of the inspection, the manager of the home was isolating at home, having tested positive themselves. As he explained: “This resulted in all home protocols not being fully adhered to and instances of residents “mixing” which should not have taken place. All issues have now been fully addressed and robust systems introduced so as to ensure that this never happens again.” Perhaps even more seriously, the CQC found that the home had failed to inform the local authority when allegations of abuse had
Serious failings at Buxton care home Haddon Hall care home in Buxton,
been raised by a member of staff. According to Mr Slater: “The allegation of abuse was made internally by a member of staff who complained of another member of staff speaking loudly to residents. This matter was fully investigated and it transpired that the member of staff in question suffered from hearing difficulties. The CQC inspector was entirely happy with the way that the matter had been investigated and the outcomes provided.
“Unfortunately, it is CQC directive that all allegations of abuse, however minor, should be reported to the local authority. We have since discussed this matter with the safeguarding team at Cumbria Social Services who confirmed that under their directions the matter would not have been required to be reported as it was considered to be a minor incident.”
Derbyshire “requires improvement” according to the Care Quality Commission. The CQC’s verdict came after an unannounced inspection in late 2021. The home, which cares for 50 residents with a variety of needs, including complex dementia needs, was found wanting when it came to both safety and leadership – two key CQC criteria. According to inspectors: “There were not enough suitably trained, qualified, competent staff employed at the service. Staff told us that at times they could be left alone with up to seventeen people at night. This posed a risk to people not receiving support when they required assistance. The risk was heightened for people who required the assistance of two staff. “Staff and some relatives told us that
there were not enough staff to meet people’s needs. People were often waiting for their medication because there were not enough staff trained in administering medication.” The CQC was informed by one relative that “Some people were waiting for their medication and didn’t get to bed until midnight.”
The damning report also found that “…the management of the service had deteriorated and it now requires improvement .”
Care UK’s new recruit solution nominated for national award
Residential care provider Care UK finds itself going head-to-head with household names like Coca-Cola and Adobe after its nomination for a national award. The UK Employee Experience Awards were
established to award companies that go the extra mile to give their employees the best possible experience. Care UK’s project makes use of a software platform to bring a personalised experience to new starters, sending them interesting content about Care UK and their new workplace to keep them engaged while they wait until their first day, and asking candidates to share their favourite things – information used to personalise their experience when they join. Leah Queripel, HR director at Care UK, said: “We work hard to attract people to apply for
April 2022
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
a variety of roles with us but our analysis had shown that many dropped out between being offered the role and their first day – often because the background checks, which are mostly out of our control, can take several days or even weeks. This project has reduced the number dropping out by over a third and, crucially, we are seeing new colleagues start with a better idea of their role and their working environment.”
Care UK also uses its system to communicate with its wider workforce, a channel that the provider says has been particularly useful to support the health and wellbeing of colleagues during the pandemic. The Best Use of Digital Technologies category winner will be announced alongside other categories at a ceremony on 19 May.
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