A nursing home has been deemed “not safe”, with residents at risk of avoidable harm, according to a recent report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Derwent Lodge Nursing Home, on New Ferry Rd, was rated “Inadequate” by the CQC after an inspection in December 2021, which identified serious concerns surrounding the management of risk, the delivery of care, and the management of medicines at the home.
A further inspection was carried out in March this year and, whilst the overall rating of the facility has improved to “Requires Improvement”, the most recent report still contains alarming details about the quality of care.
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The report, published last week, revealed that the management of medicine was unsafe, rendering the home as in breach of Regulation 12 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Some medicines, such as stocks of insulin and inhalers, couldn’t be accounted for, whilst critical information about one person's diabetes was missing and other information was confusing to follow. This made it impossible to determine whether the person's diabetes was being managed safely.
The CQC established that there was no syringe driver available at the home, despite the fact that some residents required the equipment to receive prescribed anticipatory end of life medicines.
Furthermore, there was an absence of effective checks to ensure that medicines were in date and the facility failed to regularly record residents’ fluid intake, putting them at risk of dehydration. Some people also felt that the home was understaffed, with one relative describing staff as “overworked, pressured and not happy".
Derwent Lodge, in New Ferry, provides accommodation for up to 46 residents, with 23 people living in the home at the time of the inspection. Most of the people living in the home require nursing care and many are living with dementia.
The Birkenhead facility was placed into special measures in August 2021 and a new manager was brought in earlier this year. Whilst the safety rating has failed to improve, the CQC found that the new manager has had had a positive impact on the home, with one relative noting that things had “definitely improved” since her appointment.
A spokesperson for the SureCare Group, who run the facility, told the ECHO: “The overall rating has improved to “Requires Improvement” since the last report. We are currently working with the regulator, CQC, to agree an action plan to improve situation in the ‘Safe’ category.”
