Care home residents at risk of malnutrition - CQC

Newlands Hall in Heckmondwike was rated as inadequate following a CQC inspection

Residents at a care home for people with dementia were at risk of malnutrition, inspectors said.

Newlands Hall in Heckmondwike has been put into special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection last September.

The hall, run by Regency Healthcare Limited, provides nursing and personal care to up to 30 people, some of whom have dementia.

Its manager Sean Chaudhry said he took the CQC report "very seriously", adding: "We have taken significant and meaningful steps to address the issues identified in the inspection report."

Mr Chaudhry said: "While we are proud of the progress made, we fully recognise that there is always room for growth and improvement in any service.

"We remain committed to continuous development, learning and raising standards to ensure the best possible outcomes for those in our care.''

'Poor leadership'

A report published on Thursday rated Newlands Hall as "inadequate", stating that leaders failed to operate systems to identify and investigate possible abuse and that patients' medicines were not managed safely.

Linda Hirst, CQC deputy director of operations in the North, added that "several people had lost a significant amount of weight and were at risk of malnutrition."

She said: "When we inspected Newlands Hall, it was concerning to see that poor leadership and ineffective risk management had led to people being placed at harm in a place they call home.

"People weren't always receiving nutritionally balanced meals, and portion sizes were small with no snacks offered between meals."

Ms Hirst said that leaders had "failed to act" to ensure residents were "protected from the risks of malnutrition and no referrals had been made to a GP or dietician".

Staff had raised concerns over residents' unexplained bruising and tears, while a healthcare professional raised concerns over someone's continence care - but neither were followed up.

Ms Hirst said: "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 during this time.

"We will return to check on their progress and won't hesitate to use our regulatory powers further if people aren't receiving the care they have a right to expect."

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