Residents were left in bed for hours due to a lack of staff at a Formby care home rated ‘inadequate’ at its first inspection.
Freshfields care home on College Road in Formby, which cares for people with physical disabilities, and is operated by Valorum Care Ltd was inspected in November by care watchdog CQC.
It was the first inspection of the home under the current provider and one which found a number of issues with the way the home was run. This included the “unsafe management of medicine which put people “at risk of avoidable harm” at the home.
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Residents were also placed at risk of harm due to failure to manage, identify and mitigate risks – especially around skin conditions such as bed sores and the management of people with diabetes.
Staff shortages were also of major concern, with one resident telling inspectors how they had been left in bed for hours because there were not enough staff on duty to help move them.
A report found, an over-reliance on agency staff meant residents were not always receiving care that was focused around their needs, the report added. One agency nurse inspectors spoke to told them: “I have never worked here before. I wasn’t given an induction this morning. I don’t know anything about the people or the layout of the home.”
While the home “appeared hygienic” with staff using appropriate procedures for infection control, including around Covid-19, there were issues with how this information was recorded.
A range of problems with documentation and record keeping meant inspectors could not be sure people’s support needs were being met, with some concerns over the use of ‘deprivation of liberty’ without the correct paperwork in place.
The report, which was released last week, also noted problems with governance that put it in breach of the Care Act – although added that the “provider was responsive to our feedback and some action has been taken to address issues found.”
A spokesperson for Freshfields Care Home said it had a new management team in place which had already sought to address many of the issues identified in the report.
The spokesperson said: “Our number one priority at all times is the health and well-being of all our residents.
“Since late last year Freshfields has been under new ownership and it now has a new and highly experienced management team in place. This new team acknowledges the findings of this report and we have already taken steps to address them.
“This includes having a manager in post, enhancing the clinical team, and making a number of significant improvements to our operations and processes. These changes are already having a positive impact.
“We are now working closely with the CQC, along with the local authority, and in transparent discussion with the relatives of our residents, to ensure that we provide our residents with the highest possible standard of care and support at all times.
“We are confident this will be reflected in future inspection results.”
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