The CQC has rated Ellerslie Court in Southport as inadequate after an inspection in February and March
The CQC has rated Ellerslie Court in Southport as inadequate after an inspection in February and March
A Merseyside care home where residents were found to be unsafe and at risk of harm has been plunged into special measures as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) takes urgent action to protect those inside. The CQC has rated Ellerslie Court in Southport as inadequate after an inspection in February and March.
Inspectors found fire risks at the home and said staff did not always administer or manage people’s medicines safely. They said leaders at the facility hadn’t reported some incidents to relevant authorities and did not investigate incidents to make people safe.
One resident was found to have fallen 26 times, five of which had resulted in significant injuries. Leaders hadn’t informed the CQC or the local safeguarding team about these incidents, and they hadn’t completed risk assessments to reduce the chances of it happening again.
Leaders also failed to ensure the home was clean and free from infection. Inspectors saw filthy pillows and bedding and there was a strong smell of urine throughout the building.
The inspection at Ellerslie Court – which is run by Lotus Care and provides care for adults of all ages, some of who are living with dementia – was undertaken to follow up on risks identified at the service that could place people at risk of harm. The home has been rated as inadequate in the categories of safe, well-led and effective.
Inspectors found breaches relating to safe care and treatment, person centred care, consent, staffing, and how the home is managed.
The CQC has also placed the service into special measures which involves close monitoring to ensure people are safe while they make improvements. Special measures also provides a structured timeframe so services understand when they need to make improvements by, and what action the CQC will take if this doesn’t happen.
Inspectors said the care provider “did not have a proactive and positive culture of safety based on openness and honesty.” It added: “They did not listen to concerns about safety and did not investigate or report safety events.”
For example, the CQC said they observed a smoking area being used inappropriately outside a fire exit door. On both days of their site visits, they observed the same fire door propped open and used as a smoking area, which triggered the smoke alarm.
The report added: “Additionally, during both site visits, we found furniture in people’s bedrooms was not secured to walls, which posed a significant risk of injury if it were to fall on someone.
Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north-west, said: “When we inspected Ellerslie Court, it was disappointing to see such a deterioration in the quality of care being provided. Poor leadership had led to issues including prolonged understaffing meaning people were receiving inappropriate and unsafe care and causing low staff morale.
“Due to this understaffing, people were regularly and repeatedly having falls. For example, one person had fallen 26 times at the home, five of which had resulted in significant injuries. Leaders hadn’t informed CQC or the local safeguarding team about these incidents, and they hadn’t completed risk assessments to reduce the chances of it happening again. This volume of falls indicates staff didn’t have enough time to help people at risk of falls move around the home.
“Similarly, staff didn’t have time to support people at risk of skin tears and pressure sores. One person’s medical notes stated they needed repositioning regularly, but we saw they’d been sat in a wheelchair for five hours which placed them at risk of their skin condition worsening.
“This regular understaffing led to a poor culture and people’s needs not being met due to an over-reliance on agency staff who didn’t know people well. Interactions between staff and residents weren’t warm or friendly and were often task-focused placing people at risk of loneliness.
“Additionally, agency staff were sometimes given inductions by unqualified staff which led to people receiving unsafe care. For example, eight people hadn’t received their prescribed medication placing them at risk of harm.
“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, and continued improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe while that happens. We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to use our regulatory powers further if people still aren’t receiving the care they have a right to expect.”
Lotus Care was approached for a response.
