An Isle of Wight care home was in breach of legal regulations relating to safe care and treatment, safeguarding people from abuse and good governance, a watchdog has said.
Health and social care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) marked The Elms Care Home in Bembridge as ‘requires improvement’ following an assessment between 8th – 31st July.
The ‘requires improvement’ grade was for its overall performance and the CQC’s ‘safe’ and ‘well-led’ categories.
Hartford Care, the provider behind the home, said a ‘comprehensive improvement plan’ is ‘already being delivered to ensure changes are embedded and sustained’. The Elms received good scores for the CQC’s effective, caring and responsive ratings.
Inspectors said:
“People were not always protected from the spread of infection as staff did not always follow infection control processes. Staff did not always use safe manual handling techniques in line with the providers’ procedures, this placed people at risk of harm.
“People were not always safeguarded from abuse, we found people did not always have their food prepared in line with their assessed needs. Staff lacked the sufficient understanding of how people required their meals prepared to manage the risk of choking and dysphagia.
“Staff had completed a mixture of online and face to face training, however staff were not always able to demonstrate they had the correct knowledge and skills to support people safely.”
Article continues below this advertisement
Hartford Care said:
“The Elms Care Home has entered a new chapter as a fully residential care home, led by a refreshed management team. The inspection came at an early point in the transition and identified areas where improvements were needed; we recognised these and have acted quickly.
“Immediate action was taken at the time, and a comprehensive improvement plan is already being delivered to ensure changes are embedded and sustained.
“We are pleased that the report recognised many positives, including the compassion of our staff and the responsiveness of care provided.
“These qualities remain at the heart of our home and provide a strong foundation for the future.”
Hardly shocking because I flagged 10’s of safe guarding, abuse and controlled drug issues in the sister home in Ryde regards to my dying father.
From what I understand, the CQC has identified some gaps in staff training and practice, but no patients have suffered or been mistreated as a result of this; only the possible future potential has been identified. In general the staff at The Elms are conscientious, compassionate and caring.
Seems as only paperwork (red tape) not up to requirement, staff probably too busy caring