A care home in Liverpool has been deemed 'not safe' and 'unhygienic' after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Kingswood Manor in Woolton was given an overall rating of 'inadequate', the lowest available rating. The safety and the management of the care home were both deemed 'inadequate' and the responsiveness of the provider to the needs of the 36 residents living there 'required improvement'.
It's last rating, from October 2019, was 'good', the second highest rating available. The new lower rating means the commission could take some form of action against the site manager or the provider which runs the care home, in this case Harbour Healthcare Ltd.
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The overall summary of the report said the provider had 'failed to ensure people were consistently protected from avoidable harm' and that there were 'shortfalls' in the management of food hygiene standards, fire safety and the emergency call bell system'. It also said areas of the environment were 'unhygienic' and not 'suitably maintained'.
Staff also 'did not always ensure people received their medicines as prescribed' and the report said that the way medicines were managed exposed those living there to further risk as time sensitive medicines were not always given as and when they should've been. Staff were also reported to not follow 'safe infection prevention and control processes', putting the elderly residents at risk of infectious disease, including Covid-19, leading them to call the service 'not safe'.
It was reported the manager and provider of the service failed to detect the problems found by the CQC, leading to the poor management rating. The manager and provider also failed to liaise with the people living there or their representatives when making decisions regarding care or treatment.
The management also failed to keep a proper record of the inductions of agency workers, however the inspecting body was reportedly assured that the provider had performed the inductions and that applicants were screened for good character before being recruited.
However, it was reported people using the service and their representatives said 'they felt safe and well cared for' and that they saw evidence of 'trusting relationships with staff'. It also said that people had 'access to stimulating activities' and were 'encouraged to maintain contact with friends and family'.
The CQC is now working with the local authority to monitor the progress of Kingswood Manor after requesting the provider create an action plan detailing how they will improve standards and quality. Within six months they will reinspect and if things have not improved they will cancel the provider's registration, if they have not been given a reason to do so sooner.
The ECHO approached Kingswood Manor for comment.
