A warning notice has been issued against a Keswick care home by the Care Quality Commission following damning inspections earlier this year.
The commission inspectors, who visited the Nether Place Nursing Home on Chestnut Hill, found that people were at risk due to shortfalls in safety across the service. The report branded safety at the home as “inadequate”. Inspectors also looked at whether the service, run by Hometrust Care Ltd, was well led and found that this aspect “requires improvement”.
The home provides personal care and nursing for up to 32 older people and has a wing specialising in providing care to people living with dementia. At the time of the inspections there were 22 people using the service.
The report, released this week, concluded that staffing levels at the home were not always sufficient to meet people’s needs and risks linked to nursing staff had not been robustly assessed to keep people safe. It said staff had not always received training to enable them to support people effectively and carry out their roles.
People were at risk as fire safety was not managed safely and staff did not always know how to respond in the event of a fire. At the time of the inspectors’ visit the last recorded fire drill took place on August 16 2022 and was attended by one staff member.
“Systems were not always in place to ensure people received their medicines properly and safely,” said the report. “Medicines were not always being administered to people as directed, this was addressed during the inspection.”
The report also pointed out that the service had been without a manager for six months – since July 2022 – and added that people were at risk of harm because of a lack of oversight of the service by the provider. It said the provider did not have effective systems in place to monitor quality and safety and had not identified issues found during the inspection. Improvements were being made following the inspections but these had yet to be embedded although a new manager had now been appointed.
All of the staff that the inspectors spoke to said staffing was not sufficient for the number of people living at the home and the layout of the building.
People’s family members and friends that the inspectors spoke with gave mixed feedback on staffing levels.
One relative said: “Staff do seem to be rushing around a bit sometimes. The nurses are really brilliant with (family member), it’s just that they seem very stretched.” Another relative said: “I was worried about staffing, it is much improved now.”
The report also said staff had not always received training to enable them to carry out their roles. For example, at the time of the inspection visits none of the eight care staff had received training in behaviours that challenge the service despite the home specialising in dementia care and having a dedicated unit for this.
But one professional said: “I have observed staff dealing and managing very difficult and challenging situations while still maintaining their professionalism at all times.”
And on one of the inspection days it was observed the temperature in the lounge was cold and all the people sat in this area were wrapped in blankets. The provider advised plans were in place to install new radiators to improve the heating in the lounge.
One of the positives highlighted in the report was that people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them.
The commission issued a warning notice for the breach of good governance. The CQC will now request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety.
The Keswick Reminder contacted Home Trust Care Ltd for a response.
