Elderly residents of a Manchester nursing home are living in substandard conditions, with heavily stained bedding and rusty commodes, according to an inspection report.
The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) latest report of Abbotsford Nursing Home rated the services provided as ‘inadequate’ in four out of five instances.
The inspection, carried out in May of this of year, found that the furniture was in such a poor state of repair that there was a danger of bacteria forming, increasing the risk of potential infections.
The CQC inspectors found that the home was inadequate in terms of safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership.
The Carlton Road home, which at the time of inspection housed 30 people, was found to breach several regulations under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
These breaches included a ‘lack of clear nutrition and hydration schedules’ and the CQC inspectors also found that staff did not give ‘people choices’ or ‘[acknowledge] people’s preferences’.
Highlighted in the report was also the lack of suitably qualified staff working at the home, as well as staff working without DBS information on file.
The report also found that there was a substantial language barrier between care staff and residents.
Although 50 per cent of the 30 residents were Chinese speaking, only one staff member was able to speak the language.
This meant that the staff were unable to deliver care to some residents, with tasks needing two instead of one.
In other instances, non-verbal communication was utilised with staff assuming that ‘people consented to the support offered if they did not put up any resistance’.
Although Abbotsford rated slightly higher in terms of how caring it was as a service, the CQC still said that this aspect of the home ‘required improvement’.
In one case, a resident being fed was ‘drifting in and out of sleep’ whilst a staff member pushed a spoon into their mouth.
The report states that this lack of conversational engagement means that residents are not ‘given the opportunity to be involved with their own care’.
Despite most people who live in the home living with some form of dementia, who would benefit from colours and tactile items, Abbotsford is predominately painted white and with no pictures.
The report notes that ‘no consideration had been given to the people who lived in the home when decisions about decoration had been agreed’.
Councillor Paul Andrews, executive member for Adults Health and Wellbeing said: “We are aware of the outcomes following the CQC’s inspection of Abbotsford Nursing Home.
“At the time of the inspection in May 2015 the home was experiencing a number of changes, including the recruitment of a new manager to the service.
“Since the inspection, the home has carried out a number of improvements and has been subject to ongoing monitoring.”
Abbotsford Nursing Home was unavailable for comment.
Image courtesy of Google Maps, with thanks.
