A Whitehaven care home has been criticised after concerns were raised about how it was tackling COVID-19.
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited Harbour View Care Home, on Bransty Road, found that it needed to improve.
They spoke to 13 members of staff and seven residents and inspected records when they visited in March. Their report was published this month.
While people living there said they felt safe and were supported by the staff, inspectors found that infection prevention protocols were not followed robustly at the home, which is run by Four Seasons Health Care.
Inspectors said: “Before the inspection we received concerns regarding the infection prevention and control practices including use of staff use PPE and observing to COVID-19 monitoring guidance. We found these concerns were ongoing.
“During the inspection we observed three staff not wearing face masks and some not wearing them as recommended.
“Clean laundry was stored in bathrooms and not all toilets had pedal operated bins as recommended. These practices would increase the risk of cross contamination.
“We noted these concerns had been raised by the local Infection Prevention and Control professionals and had not been addressed promptly.
“We were somewhat assured that the provider was accessing testing for people using the service and staff.
“However, the system for monitoring that staff were following the testing requirements before attending work were not robust.
“This was because the provider had no demonstrated how they had checked staff on duty had tested themselves before commencing work.”
The commission had received reports that people at Harbour View did not always have enough medicine and one person had gone without their medicine for three days.
However, inspectors found that the manager and staff had experienced some difficulty in obtaining medicines for one person, but that had been resolved and was not a widespread issue.
They added: “People were supported to receive their medicines, however there were areas of improvement in staff training, record keeping and storage of unwanted medicines.”
They said the inspection focused on safety and the management of the home. Harbour View’s ratings of being effective, caring and responsive remained as good.
While residents said they felt safe at the care home, inspectors found that some risk assessments were missing or not up-to-date, so there was no consistency.
They added: “People’s moving and handling risk assessments did not always provide clear guidance for staff on how risks needed to be managed. Improvements were also required to the guidance provided to monitor risks associate with dietary requirements, diabetes including blood sugar levels or hypoglycaemia.”
Before the inspection, the commission received concerns regarding the shortage of basic supplies, like groceries.
They said: “During the inspection we found management had identified the root cause and had taken action to address the issue. Our observations showed there were adequate supplies and a new system for monitoring and ordering supplies.”
Inspectors also said that the home’s leadership required improvement.
In a previous inspection, it had been rated as good, but inspectors found that it had deteriorated because the leadership and systems to monitor performance were inconsistent.
A Four Seasons spokesman said: “Our hard working teams strive each day to protect everyone in our homes.
“We regret that the inspector felt Harbour View Care Home had fallen below the standards that the Care Quality Commission requires.
“We are however pleased to see good ratings for effectiveness, caring and responsiveness.
“Since the inspection in March, we have implemented a comprehensive action plan to address the areas noted in the report.”
The Care Quality Commission said it would continue to monitor the home’s performance, working with its owner and local authority.
