Covid-19: Preston care home 'put residents at serious risk'

Aadamson House was providing care for 13 people at the time of the inspection

A care home put residents at "serious risk" by allowing a staff member who tested positive for Covid-19 to work, inspectors have found.

Preston's Aadamson House Care Home also let a second person with symptoms work a shift, a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in October found.

The CQC said it had "consistently" failed to protect people from "catching and spreading infections".

The care home said it had "taken steps to rectify the concerns highlighted".

Rating the care inadequate and placing the home, which opened in July 2019, in special measures, the CQC said the inspection had followed concerns raised about the management of coronavirus and staffing levels.

Fire escape blocked

Its report said people at the premises on Peel Hall Street were "exposed to the risk of harm" because the provider "failed to ensure a staff member who tested positive for Covid-19 isolated" and "another member of staff worked one shift with symptoms".

Inspectors said it "failed to consistently protect people... from catching and spreading infections" and had not enforced social distancing in communal areas.

The CQC also found staff did not consistently wear personal protective equipment and staff had not received training in how to deal with Covid-19.

Breaches were identified by inspectors in a number of other areas and in one case, the CQC found a person who was hurt in a fall was not been adequately assessed and the risk of further falls was not mitigated.

The report also said there were not enough staff trained in basic life support, moving and handling, falls awareness and night-time emergency evacuation procedures and residents had not been protected from the risk of fire, with inspectors finding one fire escape blocked.

Aadamson House Care Home, which was caring for 13 people at the time of the inspection, said it had appointed a new manager and compliance consultancy.

It said it "speedily put in place new systems and proactive steps to prevent any further failings and to rectify those already highlighted", adding: "We will work tirelessly... to ensure the residents' safety remains at the centre of the service."