Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Cornish care home given 14 days to plan improvements

Elderly people at a Cornish care home are not living in safe surroundings and have little social contact with busy staff, according to inspectors.

Watchdogs at the Care Quality Commission said it was most concerned about the level of staffing and the safety and suitability of the premises at Marray House in Saltash.

The independent regulator said the current design and layout of the home was unsuitable, the rooms were poorly decorated and staff had little time for social interaction with residents.

The inspector said: "People using the service confirmed that there was little to do and few social activities.

"People do not live in safe, accessible surroundings that promote their wellbeing.

Maintenance of the building has not taken place and the environment is of a poor standard."

The CQC said it has given the provider, Trelawney House Care Services, 14 days to come up with a plan of action to address the concerns before facing another inspection.

But the care home, which came under new ownership in February, has hit back at the criticisms, accusing the CQC of being too bureaucratic and lacking in common sense.

Maria Armstrong, a non-executive director at Marray House, said she accepted some of the criticisms regarding a need for refurbishment, but insisted all the residents were happy and well cared for.

She said: "The money has been spent on the care of our residents, who are treated with compassion and love. We are trying to do something worthwhile for the community – we are not here to get rich quick."

Mrs Armstrong said it took the CQC 14 months to register the home, a process which had delayed planned refurbishments. In addition, three staff members were on per shift, looking after a total of nine residents, although 12 had been there at the time of the inspection.

She added: "We accept some of the criticisms and have taken steps to improve, but the Care Quality Commission was more about paperwork and bureaucracy than the way people are treated."

Ian Biggs, regional director at the commission, said elderly people had the right to expect better levels of care.

"I don't want to frighten people into thinking all the care in Cornwall is poor. We focus our attention on areas where we find problems and we need to make sure the providers take action. We don't have a tick box approach – our first focus when we enter a care home is to find people and talk to them about the care they are getting."

By law, providers of certain adult social care and health care services have a responsibility to make sure they are meeting essential standards and all of Cornwall's 250 care homes can now expect to receive an unannounced inspection once a year by the CQC which has the power to prosecute.

From This is Cornwall News Website. Please follow this link to view: http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Cornish-care-home-given-14-days-plan-improvements/story-13335469-detail/story.html

Topics: Failing Care, Failing Care in Care Homes