Croxteth care home left residents looking unkempt - report

Stonedale Lodge had been out of special measures for less than 12 months

A care home where inspectors found vulnerable residents "looking unkempt" and had stained pillowcases has been placed back into special measures.

Inspectors raised a number of concerns about Stonedale Lodge Care Home, in Croxteth, Liverpool, which had been lifted out of special measures in June.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it was called in due to concerns over staffing and care.

The care home's operator described the report as "wholly disproportionate".

Stonedale Lodge, run by Advinia Care Homes Ltd, was only lifted out of a previous regime of special measures in June last year.

The facility provides personal and nursing care to up to 150 elderly residents, including some with dementia.

The most recent CQC inspection, carried out in December, found areas of concern including medication not being administered correctly, failure to manage diabetes appropriately, and that care workers "didn't always talk to people in a respectful manner".

The inspectors also referred to an incident where a resident had described feeling cold and asking for a duvet, but staff did not bring one.

The report noted management was in the "early stages" of implementing changes.

'People looked unkempt'

The CQC said under the special measures process the home will be kept under close watch and if it is allowed to keep its registration, it will undergo a re-inspection.

Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said inspectors found one person at risk of stroke whose blood pressure was not monitored routinely, and when their blood pressure was found to be high, staff did not seek medical advice.

She said: "This is a place people call home and people being kept clean and hygienic is a basic care need people should be able to expect as an absolute minimum.

"However, we saw some people looking unkempt with dirty fingernails and unbrushed teeth," Ms Knapton continued.

"We also saw that beds had been made but many had stained pillowcases meaning they hadn't been washed for a while," she added.

"It was positive, however, that there had been efforts from the manager to implement structure at the home and improve areas of concerns, and staff spoke positively about this, but it was too early to see any real progress."

'Misrepresentative'

Advinia Care Homes Ltd said while it welcomed scrutiny from the CQC, it believed "there are a number of misrepresentations in this latest report which do not fairly reflect the quality of the care provided at Stonedale Lodge".

"As such we are now in the process of pursuing legal means to challenge this inspection report on a number of fronts, particularly concerning blood pressure monitoring and basic housekeeping tasks," a spokesperson for the care home explained.

"We are taking steps to resolve some of the concerns raised by the inspection but remain of the view that this report, and the proposed action by the CQC, is wholly disproportionate," they added.