WORK is underway with a full action plan at a Warrington care home after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) revealed safety concerns.
The inspection of Westvale House on Old Hall Road, Great Sankey, identified breaches in relation to the safe administration of medication, the risks to the health and safety of the people living at this service and good governance.
The focused inspection took place between November 14-21 last year to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only.
The CQC requested an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety at the care home. They will also work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress.
Westvale House is a care home registered to provide accommodation along with personal and nursing care for up to 61 people, in one purpose-built building. At the time of the inspection, 36 people were living at the home.
The inspection identified governance processes were not always effective in the monitoring of the service. Auditing tools were in place however, they had failed to identify some of the concerns found during this inspection. There were systems in place to record and analyse incidents. However, they were not always effectively investigated.
A safeguarding policy was in place and staff they spoke with understood their role within the safeguarding process and had received adequate training. People said they felt safe.
However, good practice regarding the safe administration of medicine was not always being followed. The oversight of medicine was not robust enough to ensure people were safely given their medicines.
The deployment of staff within the care home was not always appropriate and inspectors observed people being left for long periods of time without their assessed level of support.
The provider has recently recruited new members of staff and there has been a change in roles for some existing staff members, this appears to be having a positive impact on the care home. Staff and people living at the service commented management was being supportive and things improving.
The management sought people’s feedback through meetings to gain a better understanding of what people wanted.
Inspectors observed positive interactions between staff and people who lived at the service. Staff knew the people they supported well.
The registered manager was receptive to feedback during the inspection and took some immediate steps to address some of the concerns raised.
The full report can be read on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The last rating for this service was Good (published 13 December 2018). The overall rating for the care home has changed from Good to Requires Improvement based on the findings of this inspection.
A spokesperson for Barchester Healthcare Homes Limited said:”The home was rated Good in three categories recognising that Westvale House care home effectively provides a caring environment with a responsive team. However, we take the findings of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) very seriously and we recognise that changes need to be made in the areas that require improvement, as identified in the report. We have taken immediate steps to ensure these are addressed and will be implementing a full action plan. The inspection took place in early November 2023 and significant progress has been made since to make positive permanent changes for the improvement of the service. Delivering high-quality care is of the utmost importance to us.”
