Bluewater Nursing Home: Portsmouth care home rated inadequate again

One in three staff files reviewed by the CQC inspectors did not have all the correct pre-employment checks completed

Some residents at a care home that was previously rated inadequate were put at risk of harm or death, inspectors have found.

Bluewater Nursing Home in Portsmouth was placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in May.

A further inspection in November found it still had serious defects and remained inadequate, a report has said.

The care home said the CQC's report was "inaccurate" and that it was taking legal action against the regulator.

Inspectors found bed rails had been fitted for one resident, despite them suffering involuntary movements which put them at increased risk of harm from bed rails.

They were "not suitable" for the person's bed and there was an "unsafe gap" between the bed and mattress, which could have resulted in "serious harm or death" had they become trapped between the two, the report said.

Inspectors said some residents were put at "increased risk of avoidable harm", as the home failed to ensure that risks to people's health, safety and wellbeing were assessed and managed properly.

The CQC found one in three staff files reviewed did not have all of the required pre-employment checks in place before the member of staff started work.

A new manager had been in place for just over three weeks when November's inspection took place.

Although there had been "some action to make improvements", and staff said the manager was approachable, there had been no full review to "understand what improvements were needed".

Inspectors found some actions had been marked as complete when they had not been completed.

The CQC will undertake another visit at the care home within the next six months.

In a statement, Bluewater Nursing Home said: "We are extremely disappointed that the CQC has published an inaccurate report despite us providing substantial evidence that their findings were wrong."

It added an independent care consultant had visited it 11 days before the CQC inspection and found it to be "fully compliant" with regulations.

The statement also said the home had been assessed as "good with elements of outstanding" against the CQC's rating criteria at that time.

"We are unable to comment on the detail of the CQC's report because of ongoing legal action against the CQC but we will use all legal means available to us to have this inaccurate report corrected," it continued.