Admissions halted as Clayton-le-Moors care home rated inadequate

The home, which had 29 residents at the time of the inspection, was previously rated good

Admissions have been suspended at a care home which has been put in special measures after being rated inadequate.

Following an unannounced inspection in October, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it was concerned about safety at the Hollies Care Home in Clayton-le-Moors, near Accrington.

It said the inspection was prompted "in part" by the death of a resident, which the CQC was still investigating.

The home's owners have apologised for the "drop in standards".

The home, which had 29 residents at the time of the inspection, was previously rated good.

Inspectors found it was "not well led" and had "a lack of oversight by the provider, which had resulted in a number of shortfalls that placed people at risk of not receiving proper and safe care".

'Worked hard'

The report said a number of risks around falling, choking and people's conditions "were not routinely identified" and measures were not always in place to reduce these risks.

It also said record-keeping was generally inconsistent, there were significant gaps in the reporting and management of accidents and incidents, and the provider had failed to notify local commissioners about incidents that occurred.

Inspectors also found that medicines were not always managed safely, systems to safeguard residents from abuse were poorly developed and the home's high turnover of staff had led to a reliance on agency nurses and care staff.

However, the report said the home did have "a core group of experienced care staff who had worked hard across the pandemic to provide a degree of consistency to people".

It also noted the provider had recently brought in an experienced interim manager, who had prioritised a number of areas for improvement.

The watchdog has given the home six months to improve, during which time there will be a formal suspension on admissions until improvements have been made and an action plan has been drawn up.

A statement from the Hollies said management "sincerely apologised" for the drop in rating.

Staff had been "under intense pressure since the Covid-19 outbreak began, but, as the CQC report recognises, we have maintained infection control and protected residents," it said.

Three members of staff were currently unable to work, it said, as "they must wait weeks for their second [mandatory Covid-19] jabs", leading to an "impossible situation" because "we can't simply shut our doors".

"Not enough is being done to protect and support our vital service," the statement added.

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