Middleton care home rated 'inadequate' by Care Quality Commission

Lyndhurst Residential Care Home says it is improving under new management

Elderly residents had their medicines "mixed up" at a care home that has been placed in special measures.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has downgraded Lyndhurst Residential Care Home in Middleton, Greater Manchester, to "inadequate" after an August visit.

Inspectors reported that a care worker said staffing levels were "appalling" at the home in Manchester Old Road.

The home, run by Atlantis Medicare Limited, has appointed a new manager and says it has now "greatly improved".

The CQC first ordered the home to improve in 2019 but inspectors found standards had deteriorated during their five-day visit in August, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Inspectors "found missing high-risk medicines and the home could not explain where they were".

"We found four people had not had their antibiotics given correctly and we found eight people had not had all their medicines as they were out of stock."

A resident's relative said: "They keep getting the medicines mixed up."

'Very concerning'

Inspectors added that staffing levels were "not safe".

"People did not always receive timely support from staff. We reviewed two days' worth of call bell wait times and found 51 call bells took over 10 minutes to respond to, and 28 of these took over 20 mins to respond."

One relative said: "It is very concerning when it is your mum and she can't speak for herself."

The report also noted:

• assessments of residents' care needs were sometimes not carried out before they moved in

• care records were not always in place for people with mental health needs

• Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPS) were either not in place or not up-to-date

• "necessary actions" had not been completed following a fire risk assessment in March - the home has now been referred to the local fire prevention team

• Officials found window restrictors to prevent falls were not in place in some first-floor rooms although this was rectified during the CQC visit

Inspectors expressed concerns about the cleaning and said infection prevention practices were "not always safe".

A spokesperson for the care home said new management had recently taken over Lyndhurst and that they were "aware of the failing".

The spokesperson said: "We are working hard to improve previous poor standards and ensure the excellent care we expect is provided.

"Since the report we have greatly improved the service and this will be reflected in the next inspection.

"With a dedicated staffing team, and support from families and the local authorities, we can only go from strength to strength."

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