Inspectors find care home residents at risk

The service has been criticised for its cleanliness, how it manages medication and staff training

A care home for older people has been placed in special measures after inspectors found residents were at risk of harm.

There were 21 people using Quenby Rest Home in Colchester, Essex when an inspection took place between 20 March and 1 April.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated the service inadequate as it was unclean, staff lacked training and some people were at risk of choking.

A spokesperson for Quenby Rest said: "We deeply regret that, earlier this year, we fell short of the high standards to which we hold ourselves."

They added that since the inspection they have made improvements where necessary.

Now the service has been placed in special measures and, while improvements take place, the CQC says it will review the service to ensure people living in the home are safe.

This inspection was prompted after an incident related to people's safety. That is now being further investigated by the CQC and was not part of this inspection.

The report explained: "The information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk of choking for others living at the service. This inspection examined those areas."

The CQC has placed the home in special measures after rating it inadequate

The report criticised the service for not having a system in place to help people with swallowing difficulties when eating food or drinking water.

It mentioned staff had not been encouraged to learn or reflect on safety events, such as a recent choking incident, to prevent similar occurrences happening again.

Inspectors also found other risks to safety had not been identified or managed to prevent potential harm.

Members of staff were found to lack training, with some not being able to demonstrate an understanding of the training they had received.

Most training had been done on computers with some inequalities found in staff abilities.

Safeguarding guidelines had not been followed and there was no system in place to manage medicines safely.

When it came to prescribing sedatives, the report said: "Protocols did not contain guidance for staff on what interventions should be tried before administering the medicine as a last resort."

It continued: "People living with specific health conditions, such as Parkinson's, diabetes, and epilepsy did not have detailed care and support plans in place to ensure staff knew how to monitor and meet their needs safely.

"For people living with dementia, staff had not received specialist training to ensure they understood changes in the person's levels of understanding and had the required skills to support the person to continue to achieve their full potential."

'Poorly maintained'

The environment at the home was described in the report as "tired" and "poorly maintained".

A cleaning cupboard was itself not clean, a sink had missing or cracked tiles above and the "small and cluttered" laundry room had water damage on the ceiling with an incomplete floor.

Where a toilet had been removed, the waste pipe hole had been poorly filled, leaving a large gap in the lino that was not flush with the rest of the floor.

The report said: "Incomplete flooring and missing tiles can create a breeding ground for bacteria and other microorganisms, potentially leading to increased risk of infection."

The home had previously been told on 13 March, following an audit by the Integrated Care Board, to improve infection control but CQC inspectors found no plan had been created when they arrived a week later.