A Liverpool care home remains in special measures after a follow-up inspection found no improvement to the safety of people living there.
Millvina House on Hartnup Street was deemed to be unsafe and therefore providing an inadequate level of care when inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) between March and April last year. A follow-up visit by officials has found that little has changed at the facility which was initially built by Liverpool Council.
The follow-up report to the findings in 2022 at Millvina House, operated by Bloomcare, said at the time of the visit 42 people were in situ, with the ability to care for 60 individuals over three floors. Officials staged a second visit to monitor if warning notices previously handed out at the care home had been met.
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The report said five people had either missed or been given incorrect doses for some of their medicines while some didn’t receive them because they were out of stock. A further seven people had been given paracetamol without “leaving a four-hour hap, which is not safe.”
Officers said while diabetes management had improved since the last inspection, “some people with diabetes did not always have enough information recorded in their care plans to ensure their condition was being managed safely. This put them at an increased risk of harm.”
The CQC said its inspectors were concerned for those receiving one-to-one care who had sustained previous injuries due to being left alone for periods of time. Safeguarding referrals had been made when needed after incidents occurred.
Some of those living at the home were at risk of weight loss, malnutrition and dehydration according to the report. It said: “Risk assessments and care plan reviews for two people had not identified changes in their weight, therefore no additional mitigation was put in place to prevent further weight loss.
“One person who required weekly weight checks had a gap of six weeks before they were weighed again. This put them at risk of malnutrition.
“Another person had only consumed their target fluid level twice in 11 days. This placed them at risk of dehydration. Their risk assessment review had not been updated to reflect this.”
Staff were also aware of the issues and conceded this to CQC inspectors. The report said: “One staff member said, ‘there is not enough staff, staff struggle, they are overworked, people are not getting pressure care.’
“Another staff member said ‘there are not enough staff, people aren't getting 100% care they need.’ We spoke to relatives who told us medication was delayed due to there not being enough staff to get the prescription.”
Staff also told the CQC they felt management did not always listen when they raised concerns around workloads and a blame culture existed in the home. As a result of the findings, the service remains in special measures and under review from the CQC, which could lead to cancellation of the provider’s registration.
A spokesperson for Millvina House said: “We have been responsive to the feedback and have a comprehensive action plan in place to improve our service. We will ensure that we continue the good work and demonstrate how good the home really is.
“Millvina is a home recognised by residents as a lovely and caring place to live, and we will ensure that the improvements continue to make it the outstanding home our residents deserve.”
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