Hemel Hempstead care home residents 'went 28 days without a bath'

The Lodge Care Home was unable to offer regular baths and showers to residents, inspectors found

Elderly care home residents went 28 days without a bath or shower because of "insufficient" staffing levels, according to a report.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found five people at the Lodge Care Home had no bath between January and February.

Medicine management, staffing levels and record-keeping were also a cause for concern, it said.

The home in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, has been told it requires improvement.

The Lodge, which at the time of the inspection in February had 34 residents, 10 of whom had dementia, had recently been the subject of an investigation by the local safeguarding authority, the CQC found.

This had looked at medicine management, record-keeping and meeting people's personal hygiene needs, but the CQC said the home, in Broad Street, had failed to improve practices since.

Nine residents had just one bath in 28 days, while the remaining 20 had two or more, which workers told the CQC was down to a lack of staff.

Poor personal hygiene put residents at greater risk of pressure ulcers, the CQC said.

'Lessons were not learned'

In some cases, medicines were recorded as being administered on the home's records, but the tablets were still in the blister packs. Inspectors also found medicines without labels.

No times were recorded for when medicines were given, the report said.

A member of staff told the CQC that staffing levels were "woefully inadequate", with some working for nine days without a day off.

"All staff told us there was insufficient staff to ensure people received care and support safely, and in a personalised way," the report states.

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Staff had not always reported safeguarding incidents and concerns to the manager, which meant they were not investigated, or reported to the local safeguarding authority and the CQC, it said.

These included when one resident pushed another, resulting in a fall, and when a resident's behaviour "challenged others".

The CQC added: "When things went wrong, lessons were not always learned and staff practices were not changed to improve the quality and safety of the care provided.

"Staff told us they were aware of people's needs, however there were not enough staff to meet people's needs safely and effectively."

The CQC said it required an action plan from The Lodge, detailing how it would improve standards.

B&M Investments Ltd, of Hemel Hempstead, which runs The Lodge, has been approached for comment.