'Significant Concerns' At Peterborough Care Home

8 August 2014, 05:32 | Updated: 8 August 2014, 05:42

CQC finds significant concerns at Werrington Lodge care home in Peterborough.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has warned national care provider Barchester Healthcare Homes Limited to make improvements at its Werrington Lodge care home in Peterborough to ensure everyone who lives there receives the quality of care and support they are entitled to expect.   

During unannounced inspections which took place on 8 and 12 May 2014, CQC found a number of significant concerns, including:

  •  Some people were left in bed for long periods of time during the day, sometimes in beds that were wet with urine.

 

  •  The home was unclean and people were not protected from the risks of infection. Some areas in the home smelled of urine and there were dirty carpets and furniture in communal areas.

 

  • People were not being protected against the risks of developing a pressure ulcer or from the risks of falls and injuries.

 

  • Some people had lost weight and staff had not given them support to maintain their nutrition.  Some people had very dry mouths indicating they had not been given enough to drink.  

 

  • Some staff showed a lack of compassion for the people in their care. Calls for help were ignored on occasion and some staff did not have any knowledge of the people they were supporting

 

  • There was a lack of stimulation and activities tailored to meet individual needs with one activities organiser employed to support 79 people living in the home.

 

  • There was a lack of direction and leadership with the manager and the nurses not being visible or leading staff in how they supported the people living in the home

 

  • At times there was not enough staff to meet the needs of residents which resulted in people having to wait for staff to give them support when they needed it.  


As a result, CQC made immediate referrals to Peterborough Council's Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults team. In addition, Barchester Healthcare Homes Limited was served with eight formal warning notices under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, requiring immediate action to ensure the safety and welfare of the people at the home.

A further inspection was conducted on 12 June to check that the provider had taken the action necessary to address the concerns identified at the May inspection.Inspectors found that some improvements had been made, including:

  • Fewer residents were being nursed in bed and people were encouraged to spend time in the communal areas of the home.   

 

  • New documentation had been introduced to ensure people's food and fluid intake was monitored.    

 

  • Staff were more conscious of the need to maintain people's dignity and privacy when providing personal care.  

 

  • The new interim manager and deputy manager had established a good rapport with staff and were caring and supportive in their manner.  But further action is required to meet national standards and six warning notices remain in place. Reports of both inspections have been published on the CQC website today.   


Malcolm Bower-Brown, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said:"When our inspectors visited Werrington Lodge on 8 May they were shocked by what they found.  Every care provider has a duty to ensure their services are safe, effective, caring, well led, and responsive to people's needs.

"But at Werrington Lodge we found significant shortfalls against national standards in each of these areas and have warned Barchester Healthcare Homes Limited that they must take action to ensure the people living in the home receive the quality of service they are entitled to expect.

"Although at our inspection on 12 June we found some progress had been made, there is much work still to be done to deliver the required improvements and ensure these can be sustained for the future.

"We will return to Werrington Lodge shortly to conduct a further unannounced inspection. In the meantime we continue to monitor the situation extremely carefully, working alongside Peterborough City Council and other agencies to ensure the safety and welfare of everyone who lives at the home.

CQC is the independent regulator of health and care services in England and if anyone has concerns about this or any other registered service, please contact us immediately".

Werrington Lodge have said:

'We were made aware of these findings in May and June and we took immediate action.

"We were deeply concerned that the home was below the standards we expect for our residents.  We have made investment in a number of areas including training for current staff and adding more staff to the team.

"This includes additional nurses on the team, a senior nurse supervising each shift, plus daily support from our most senior and specialist staff. We have also transformed the environment with refurbishments.

"Since the inspections in May and June we know we have made progress and this has been recognised by external parties involved - the Care Quality Commission and the Council. Everyone is dedicated to providing the best possible care and we know things have improved and continue to improve. We would like to thank residents and relatives for their continued support."