Vulnerable dementia and mental health residents are having to be moved from a Rochdale care home, after a damning report deemed them at risk – with some even left in soiled clothes.
Parklands House Care Home, which provides nursing care for people with dementia and mental health conditions, was judged to be inadequate across all areas of an investigation by the Care Quality Commission.
Inspectors found strong foul odours, residents wearing soiled clothes, and boxes of medication left open in the home, among other failings.
The CQC report stated: “People were not protected against unsafe or inappropriate care as identified risks had not been assessed and planned for.
“Further risks to people’s safety with regards to cross infection and fire safety were not effectively managed so people were kept safe.
“People did not receive the care and support they needed in a dignified and timely manner as sufficient number of staff were not always available.”
Rochdale Council confirmed that the process of moving patients to other facilities began in October, while no new patients had been admitted to Parklands House since June.
The inspection, carried out in late October, was undertaken to see if breaches in regulation and warning notices issued earlier last year had been addressed.
Nine bedrooms in the home, which cares for up to 57 people, were described as having a malodour, while a ‘strong, offensive odour’ from one could be smelled from outside the front door.
Inspectors saw six unlocked boxes of medication left in the reception area, where residents, staff, and visitors could have taken them either deliberately or accidentally.
After finding several people wearing soiled, mismatched, or ill-fitting clothing, the CQC spoke to one relative about the situation.
“The relative of one person told us they were not happy their relative was sometimes wearing soiled clothing and had not been assisted by staff to change them,” the report stated.
“They said their relative was a ‘proud man’ and would not like to be dressed that way. They added ‘It’s not very dignified.’”
Inspectors twice had to ask the home’s management to intervene when one patient said they were ‘frightened’ by another’s behaviour and displayed ‘heightened anxiety and agitation’.
The report also criticised a reliance on agency staff that are not aware of residents’ needs and a recruitment process that ‘puts people at risk of being cared for by staff that are unsuitable to work with vulnerable people.’
Parklands House currently has no registered manager and the report found that only 15 of 48 staff employed had completed safeguarding adults training from 2010-14.
There were also failings to provide people with the correct prescribed consistency of fluid, placing them at risk of choking, and to provide evidence of action taken to address two cases of severe weight loss.
The future of the home, which is run by Huddersfield-based service provider Eldercare, has not yet been decided.
Paul Torrance, of Eldercare, said: “We are working with local authorities to ensure a smooth transition of patients to alternative facilities.”
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