One GP file held ‘no evidence of qualifications’
Hilltop Court Nursing Home, Heaton Norris(Image: Google)
Greater Manchester services have been pulled up on a number of issues in this week’s healthcare inspection reports.
Watchdog the Care Quality Commission found residents in a Stockport care home to have dirty hair, nails and clothes. Areas of the service were ‘malodorous’ and people did not always have access to drinks, inspectors added.
Meanwhile, problems with recruitment were raised at a Platt Bridge GP surgery. One GP file held ‘no evidence of qualifications’, while other missing information included references, proof of identity, DBS checks and employment history documentation. ‘Significant gaps’ in training were also discovered.
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However, staff at a Manchester home care service were praised by inspectors for their ‘exceptional’ kindness, including throwing a birthday party for a person with no close family. Service users described them as ‘angels’.
Here is a breakdown of Greater Manchester’s recently published CQC reports:
Manchester
Dam Head Medical Centre, in Rochdale Road, was rated ‘good’ this week. Care at the GP was judged by inspectors to be safe, with staff training and recruitment considered to be appropriate and the premises ‘visibly clean’.
The practice offered ‘extended hours’ for appointments to help patients who could not attend during normal working hours. It has also introduced an online system for patients to request appointments and seek advice, reducing phone pressures.
People who needed extra support were supported to access care easily and comfortably, including the offer of double appointment slots so they did not feel rushed.
Passion Home Care Ltd, based in Gibfield Park Avenue, was another service to receive a ‘good’ rating from the CQC. Inspectors found the service was ‘exceptional’ at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion.
Service users spoke highly of their carers, with one saying: “I would describe the staff as lovely human beings that care and look after me exceptionally well. I don’t think I could find a better company who are as flexible and supportive.”
Another said: “Every girl who comes to me are like angels. They are always smiling… I cannot believe that a company has such smashing girls.”
A relative added: “I have been blown away with the support and level of care received from them.”
A person without close family recently celebrated a ‘landmark’ birthday, the report added. Their care team organised a small celebration with cards, gifts, balloons and cake. Inspectors said this ‘brought this person immense joy’.
The service was ‘flexible’ when it came to admissions, the report added. This included admitting people earlier than planned to ‘ensure safety and prevent any shortfall in care’.
Rochdale
Rochdale Road Medical Centre, in Middleton, was also judged to be ‘good’. Patients told the CQC they felt involved and confident that staff understood their needs.
The inspection team felt staff showed ‘strong attention to detail in the care they provided’ and ‘took care to ensure that care and treatment were delivered safely’. They were noted to be ‘respectful and compassionate’, taking the time to listen, respond to concerns, and provide reassurance where needed.
Medicines were generally found to be managed appropriately. However, inspectors found some emergency medications were not available at the time of their visit. There was no risk assessment in place to explain the gaps or mitigate the risks associated with this.
Dr Ahmad and Partners, based in Platt Bridge Health Centre(Image: Google)
Stockport
Hilltop Court Nursing Home, in Heaton Norris, was found to have made some improvements since its last inspection which saw it issued with a warning notice. However, it was still in breach of two of the four regulatory areas previously raised as concerns.
The CQC issued a ‘requires improvement’ rating to the home following its most recent visit. Concerns over personal care and residents’ hygiene remained, inspectors said.
Some people had dirty fingernails, unclean hair, did not ‘always look well-kempt’ and were in ‘unclean’ clothes and footwear, the report added. Although electronic records indicated people were being supported to wash, it was not clear areas of personal care were being closely attended to or that records of personal care were accurate, inspectors said.
People did not always have access to drinks in their bedrooms, while inspectors said they had concerns some underweight people were not receiving enough calories.
Lack of information in some care plans created a risk of health conditions not being safely managed. Inspectors also said they had concerns over what they described as ‘significant use’ of sensor beams to alert staff to people’s movements in their beds.
They said assessments for these were ‘not robust’ and ‘did not evidence this was the least restrictive practice’. The impact of the ‘loud alarms’ had also ‘not been considered’, they said.
While the home had been redecorated and appeared ‘lighter, brighter and welcoming’, inspectors raised ongoing concerns over the building. They said they found some doors unlocked, emergency cords not set to standards and uncovered radiators.
Some bedrooms were ‘malodorous’ and there were ‘some shortfalls in cleanliness’, the report continued. The ground floor bathroom was cluttered and contained trolleys housing soiled laundry.
They also noted there were ‘outstanding actions’ regarding the home’s fire risk assessment, with ‘improvements needed’. The CQC said the home had reported these done following the inspection.
However, relatives spoke positively about the services, with one saying: “I’ve no complaints about any of the staff. The new manager is trying to improve things. I’ve no complaints at all.”
Harbour Healthcare, which runs the home, was approached for a comment.
Wigan
Dr Ahmad and Partners, in Platt Bridge, was also rated ‘requires improvement’ following a visit from inspectors. The GP, also known as Alexander House, was judged to be ‘good’ in three areas – effectiveness, caring and responsiveness – but concerns were raised over safety and leadership.
Inspectors said they found ‘several gaps’ in safety oversight, including fire risks, out of date ‘consumables’ and legionella assessments. The practice was ‘maintained’ and ‘clean’, however.
Problems were also found when it came to staff training with ‘significant gaps’ in completion rates. Mandatory training in areas such as safeguarding, infection prevention and control, and first aid had expired for some staff members.
Recruitment concerns were flagged too, with one GP file holding no evidence of qualifications, and new admin and reception staff starting their jobs before all pre-employment checks had been completed.
Missing information included references, proof of identity, DBS checks and employment history documentation.
However, staff ‘always’ treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, the report stated. They also ‘demonstrated awareness’ of vulnerable people’s needs, including providing quiet spaces and prioritised access for patients with learning disabilities, autism and sensory impairments.
Same day appointments were available where clinically required, children were always seen on the day, and additional evening and weekend appointments were available through Primary Care Network extended access services. Some 90pc of those who responded to a national survey described their overall experience of contacting the service as being good, compared to a national average of 77pc.
Dr Ahmad and Partners was approached for a comment.