A Sefton care home littered with “piles of rubbish” has been told to improve by a care watchdog.
Problems with the state of Woolston Mead care home in Waterloo, and how medication is being handed out created an “increased risk that people could be harmed” according to a Care Quality Commission report published last week. Following an unannounced inspection in July, inspectors found the home which overlooks Crosby coastal park along Beach Lawn was “poorly presented” with rubbish and equipment strewn outside.
Inside, several storage rooms were also found to be “cluttered” with old paperwork and equipment. Inspectors said problems were identified with how medicine was handed out. This included medicine doses and times not being properly recorded and a failure of quality systems to identify issues which needed addressing.
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The home, which is run by Tulip Care Ltd and caters for up to 28 residents, was also found to have poor infection prevention practices – an issue which had also been highlighted in a recent audit carried out by local infection prevention and control inspectors. While some improvements had been made, according to the report, there were still issues that remained outstanding. This was due to a need for refurbishment works to be carried out to install more sinks, replace flooring and repair and redecorate areas of the home.
While some family members spoken to by inspectors said the home was a “safe” environment for their relatives, there were found to be enough staff to meet residents' needs and there were effective systems for responding to accidents, incidents and safeguarding concerns, inspectors rated the home as requiring improvement in two key areas of safety and leadership.
This has led to an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’, with inspectors stating that management at the home is “inconsistent” and governance and quality assurance systems “not always effective.”
The home is now required to submit a report detailing how the home will deal with issues identified and will be subject to further monitoring by the CQC.
Tulip Care Ltd was contacted for comment.
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