The Care Quality Commission after carrying out an unannounced focused inspection of Stamford House, run by Antonipillai Gnanabalan deemed it inadequate overall and for being safe and well-led and has been placed into special measures.
Issues were identified in relation to the environment, incident management, staff training, recruitment, person-centred care and leadership.
At the last inspection the care home was rated as good overall.
At the time of the inspection they were providing care for 21 people.
Inspectors found that good practice was not consistently followed when recruiting staff
People did not always receive person-centred care and care plans needed further development
They found that poor management of fire safety and legionella put people at risk
The home was clean, but some carpets needed replacing and some areas of the home required refurbishment
There were limited systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided.
Hayley Moore, CQC’s head of adult social care inspection, said:
“When we inspected Stamford House Care home, we were not assured that people were receiving the safe care and treatment they deserve.
“We found that leaders didn’t make sure appropriate information was received before staff were employed or ensure necessary training was kept up to date to keep people safe. Also, staff told us there was enough staff to support people however, we observed the main lounge area was often unsupervised, as staff were working elsewhere in the building which could put people at risk.
“We also noted people didn’t always receive high-quality personal care. People were regularly only allocated one shower per week and couldn’t have a bath as it wasn’t safe, due to having no safety belt fitted to the bath hoist. This meant people couldn’t choose to have a bath instead of a shower and didn’t have the opportunity to have a pleasant bathing experience.
“We found people were at increased risk of falls due to broken drawers lying around on bedroom floors. The provider assured us they were replacing broken and unstable furniture during planned improvements due to start in December.
“People’s basic needs were included in care plans. However, care plans and risk assessments required further work to include details of what people could do to maintain their level of independence and provide detailed instructions for staff to keep people safe.
“People were at risk of experiencing pain and neglect. Risks relating to pain were not always assessed or recorded and there was limited guidance for staff to follow. People living at Stamford House deserve better care and treatment to ensure they receive the pain relief they require and are cared for by staff that can meet their individual needs.
“During the inspection, the provider started to make improvements, and continues to make changes to ensure people are safe. We will continue to monitor the service closely and will take further action if we are not assured it is making the necessary improvements.”
