'Overwhelming failures' found at Liverpool care home for sixth time

The Care Quality Commission visited the care home in November

A series of "overwhelming failures" have been uncovered at a Liverpool care home by the health watchdog for the sixth inspection in a row.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Finch Manor Nursing Home to make immediate improvements.

Inspectors found the home was understaffed, medicines were poorly managed and residents were at risk of "serious harm".

Finch Manor said it was "deeply disappointed" by the report.

The CQC carried out its inspection at the Dovecot nursing home, run by Lotus Care Ltd, in November and December 2023.

Inspectors were deeply concerned with what they found, on one occasion having to intervene to request a blanket for a cold resident who had been left alone all morning.

The CQC rated the facility "inadequate" and said it had taken additional action, "which will be reported on when legally able to do so".

'Overwhelming failures'

In the report, the CQC inspectors wrote: "The findings of this inspection and the previous five inspections completed by CQC have continued to identify overwhelming failures in the management and governance of the service.

"The provider has continually failed to take responsibility for the shortfalls in people's care and make the necessary improvements."

Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said she was concerned management had not taken action despite previous warnings.

Finch Manor has been described as suffering "overwhelming failures"

She said: "We have told Finch Manor Nursing Home to make immediate, rapid and widespread improvements and will monitor them closely to make sure people are safe while this happens.

"If this doesn't happen we won't hesitate to take further enforcement action which can include closing them down."

The CQC described incidents including seeing people who needed "urgent help" waiting too long to have their call bells answered.

Safety equipment to help people clear their airways if they started choking was not always available even though some people had been identified as being at risk of choking.

Diabetic residents were sometimes given insulin without checking whether it was safe to do so, while some residents were found to be running out of medications because the home had forgotten to order more.

'Working tirelessly'

Other issues included a heavy reliance on agency staff, including some who did not speak English well, and poor security with visitors given security codes to access all areas of the building.

Checks on staff were inadequate, meaning management could not guarantee they were suitable for working with vulnerable people.

The CQC did find improvements to the home's environment and cleanliness had been made since the last inspection, and described it as "adequately clean".

A spokesperson for Lotus Care said it had been "working tirelessly" to address the issues raised.

The company said: "A robust and detailed action plan is in place, and the home is being fully supported by our senior management team.

"We are pleased with the progress being made and the feedback we are receiving about the improvements in the home from our external partners."