Long Eaton care home criticised for medication errors

The Old Vicarage care home remains in special measures after a second "inadequate" inspection

A care home where residents were not always given medication as prescribed will remain in special measures after a second "inadequate" rating.

The Old Vicarage in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, was re-visited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August after failings were found in March.

Management, safety and effectiveness at the home received the lowest score by the health watchdog.

The manager was not available when asked to comment on the inspection.

'Risk of overdose'

Inspectors said residents "did not always receive their medicines as prescribed".

The CQC report detailed how one person was prescribed paracetamol every six hours but on the review of records, it was found there was not always at least six hours between administration.

"This placed them at risk of overdose", inspectors said.

Another resident was also left without a pain patch for four days. While this was reported by a nurse, action "had not been taken" to ensure a thorough investigation was completed.

CQC officials also said medicine records were "not always completed".

They found "several missing signatures" within records and "inaccurate recordings of medicine stocks".

This meant people "may not have received their prescribed medicines", inspectors added.

Despite the overall "inadequate rating", the home did receive "good" scores for care and responsiveness.

Inspectors said the home had made some improvements from the previous inspection but remained in breach of regulations relating to safety and governance.

A CQC spokesman said: "We will keep the service under review and, if we do not propose to cancel the provider's registration, we will re-inspect within 6 months to check for significant improvements."