Care home where residents at ‘increased risk of harm’ in special measures after being ordered to improve for the sixth time

A Rochdale care home has been placed in special measures after being ordered to improve for the sixth time.

Beechwood Lodge, in Cutgate, provides care for up to 66 older people – including those living with dementia – but has not been rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since 2015.

An inspection by the watchdog in 2019 found it had breached care regulations in relation to safeguarding people from abuse and staff training, noting that the overall management of the service was ‘poor’.

However, when officials returned in May this year, the Meadow View home had still not made enough progress – with the exception of safeguarding – and was again rated as ‘requires improvement’. It could now be closed down if it fails to make ‘significant improvements’ over the next six months.

The latest inspection report notes that people felt safe living at the home – run by Finbrook Limited – and were happy with the service. They were also cared for in a ‘kind and attentive manner’.

But there were also ‘widespread and significant shortfalls’ in leadership which ‘did not assure the delivery of high-quality care’.

Officials found some aspects of the service were not always safe and there was ‘an increased risk that people could be harmed’.

Staffing was one particular area of concern – and one where the home was found to still be in breach of regulations.

“The provider did not have robust procedures to ensure staff were safely recruited,” the report notes.

“On looking at staff files, we noted shortfalls in the required regulatory checks including a lack of exploration of gaps in staff members’ employment histories and reasons for leaving previous employment.

“We also noted new staff had not been asked for information in respect of any physical or mental health conditions and satisfactory evidence of conduct in previous care settings had not always been obtained.”

Medicines were also not always managed safely.

“The audit system in place did not always provide assurance that medicines including creams were in stock and the systems for recording prescribed creams were not always robust,” inspectors noted.

Staff were also said to not always follow risk management strategies. Officials intervened after seeing one person about to leave the home without the lap belt fastened on their wheelchair.

And there was no evidence to show that electrical work had been carried out post-pandemic following an ‘unsatisfactory’ safety check in February 2020.

However, arrangements were made during the inspection for the work to be completed and all other safety certificates were complete and up to date.

And while inspectors were not happy enough progress had made, they acknowledged there had been some improvement since the last visit.

The report notes that staff understood how to protect people from harm or discrimination and that there here were ‘sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs and ensure their safety’.

Residents and their families ‘spoke positively about the registered manager and the staff team’ throughout the inspection’. The home was also said to have a ‘satisfactory standard of cleanliness’ – although staff were not always using personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately.

A spokesperson for Beechwood Lodge said: “The last two and a half years have created extreme challenges which our staff team have dealt with incredibly well under the circumstances.

“CQC acknowledged that progress in some areas has been made since the last inspection, and praised staff for their care and dedication.

“Following the pressures of the pandemic we are now in a position to progress the necessary improvements in the quality of the service, and we are actively engaged with CQC to deliver our action plan.”

The CQC says it will request an action plan from the home to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. It will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress.

For adult social care services, the maximum time for being in special measures will usually be no more than 12 months.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter