A Derby care home must improve after a damning review by inspectors uncovered staff failing to listen to safety concerns.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave Abbeydale Nursing Home in Duffield Road, Darley Abbey, a rating of ‘requires improvement’ – the second lowest – after it was found to be in breach of legal regulation relating to safe care and treatment.
It is the second care home in as many months operated by Willover Property Ltd to have been given an overall score of ‘requires improvement’, after inspectors published a report concerning Stanley House Care Home, also on Duffield Road, in October.
Assessing its learning culture, which received a score of one out of five, the report noted that the provider did not always have a “positive culture of safety based on openness and honesty”.
It continued: “They did not listen to concerns about safety and did not investigate or report safety events in a timely manner. Lessons were not learnt to continually identify and embed good practice.”
Incidents of bruising and skin tears had not always been identified and reported in a timely manner, the report also found.
In one incident, the CQC reported that one person was bruised, but there was no investigation into the cause at the time – and an attempt to investigate it retrospectively was not successful.
The report also found that the care was not effective because people’s health, care, wellbeing and communication needs were not discussed with them.
“People were at risk of inconsistent care as care plans were not always in place or accurate,” inspectors said.
“One person did not have a care plan and risk assessment in place for their specific medical condition, how they managed this, and what care was required from staff. We found other discrepancies in people’s care plans and risk assessments.
“One person’s mental capacity assessment stated they were unable to eat and drink independently whilst their medical care plan stated they were mostly independent with eating and drinking, which staff also confirmed.”
On leadership, which was also marked as ‘requires improvement ‘, the CQC said Abbeydale Nursing Home did not have clear roles and responsibilities and good governance, and that they did not “act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate”.
It also found issues with the accuracy and completion of records, finding that records of people’s care did not always reflect what staff told inspectors.
Despite the issues noted, the CQC found that staff understood the principles of safeguarding and what actions to take to protect people from abuse, and there were safety measures in place to keep the care home safe.
People were treated with kindness and respect by staff, who worked to promote the independence of residents, the report said, while a range of activities were also provided to residents and people felt “safe and supported” when they moved to the home.
“People liked the activities on offer, and these engaged people in a variety of different areas of interest and helped people stay connected to their local community,” the report added.
“People liked the staff who cared for them and described them as polite and kind. People told us they could go to bed and get up when they wanted and found staff responded to any immediate needs they may have
“People had access to other health and social care services as needed. People were supported to live healthier lives. When people needed help with their communication, this was supported.”
DerbyshireLive contacted Willover Property Ltd for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.