Staff at Edgecumbe Lodge care home in Downend 'put people at risk of catching COVID' because they did not always wear face masks in accordance with the guidance, an inspection has found. The Care Quality Commission visited the home on Overnhill Road on March 16, and found that it 'requires improvement'.
Edgecumbe Lodge provides care for 17 people, but the inspection found several shortcomings in its services. According to a report published by the CQC, patients were put at risk of catching the highly contagious coronavirus.
The report said that staff "were not always wearing face masks in accordance with the guidance, which put people at risk of catching COVID". It also found that the 'unsafe' storage of oxygen created the potential risk of a fire.
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"Oxygen was not stored safely and in accordance to the manufacture's guidance. One person's bedroom door was propped open who had been prescribed oxygen. This was a potential risk in the event of a fire," the report said. The care home was also failing to ensure adequate food hygiene safety, the inspector found.
The report said: "Systems to protect people from harm in respect of food hygiene was not robust. Although the provider's audit had identified areas for improvement in January 2022 these had not been rectified in March 2022 when the home was inspected by environmental health."
The inspection found that Edgecumbe Lodge is in need of improvement in the categories of 'safety' and 'well led', and ultimately requires improvement overall. It was prompted partly because of concerns that the CQC received about "the management of risk in relation to the environment and food safety".
This meant that the categories of 'effective, 'caring' and 'responsive' were not examined in this inspection as there were no concerns raised about them. But these categories were rated as good at the last inspection in in 2018, and the care home was also found to be good overall at that time.
And the latest inspection highlighted several good aspects of the care home. It said that the home was "clean and free from odour", while it noted that high Covid-19 pressure points such as door handles and remotes were being cleaned frequently.
It also said that, despite mask guidance not always being followed, Edgecumbe Lodge followed the rules on testing staff and visitors for the virus. The report also noted that staff were "recruited safely" and received regular training, and said: "This included infection control training and updates to keep people safe during the pandemic."
And, in regard to food hygiene concerns, the report found that "further food hygiene training was planned for all staff in response to a recent environmental health visit," and that "the manager and the staff were working through the action plan to make improvements in this area".
The inspector also found that "people and relatives spoke positively about the staff working in the home telling us they were kind and attentive", and that relatives "felt the home was safe and people were well cared for."
Edgecumbe Lodge has been approached for comment.
