The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Parkhill Nursing Home in Stalybridge, Cheshire, as inadequate again following an inspection on 5 February.
Parkhill Nursing Home is a residential care home, run by Belmont Parkhill Limited, which provides care and support for up to 38 people.
The inspection was undertaken to follow up on concerns that were raised at a previous inspection, when the home was rated inadequate and placed in special measures.
Following this latest inspection, the overall rating for the service, as well as the areas of safe, well-led and effective have been rated inadequate again. Caring and responsive have improved from inadequate to requires improvement.
The service remains in special measures which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people safe and it will be monitored to check sufficient improvements have been made. CQC has begun the process of taking regulatory action to address the concerns which Parkhill Nursing Home has the right to appeal.
Alison Chilton, CQC Deputy Director of operations in the north, said:
“When we returned to Parkhill, whilst we found some small areas of improvement, it was disappointing that action plans to address previous concerns hadn’t led to overall improvements which meant people remained at risk of ongoing harm.
“People weren’t always living dignified lives as they weren’t always consistently supported to have baths, showers or brush their teeth which as basic care is unacceptable. One relative told us they had to remind staff that their loved one needed a shower and change of clothes, and another relative said their loved one always had dirty nails.
“People’s aspirations, cultures, unique backgrounds and protected characteristics weren’t considered by staff who took a blanket approach to care and treated everybody the same rather than as individuals. People weren’t given choices about decisions of daily life, such as what they ate and drank, where they sat or what clothes they wore.
“Additionally, there weren’t enough staff around in the mornings to support people who wanted to get up or have breakfast and ensure people in communal areas were safe. Throughout the inspection there were lengthy periods of time where there were no staff in areas where people, including those at risk of falls, were situated.
“However, people spoke highly of the home’s activity worker and felt they were benefitting them and their wellbeing.
“There was a new manager in post who had several ideas for improvement, and we will review if these ideas have been implemented and embedded when we next inspect the service.
“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time. We will return to check on their progress and have begun the process of taking further regulatory action which Parkhill Nursing Home has the right to appeal.”
Inspectors found:
- Potential risks in the home weren’t always detected or managed by leaders to keep people safe.
- People and their families said there were shortfalls in communication, particularly in how they were updated about changes in the home.
- Leaders didn’t listen to concerns about safety and didn’t investigate incidents that placed people at risk of harm.
- People and their families weren’t involved in discussions about their care planning.
- Families didn’t feel enough action was taken to reduce the risk when people transitioned between care services.
- People weren’t consistently supported in hoists and wheelchairs safely, potentially increasing the possibility of someone coming to harm.
- Some areas of the home had unpleasant odours, although this had improved since the last visit.
However:
- Kitchen staff had a good understanding of people and their needs.
- Staff generally appeared respectful of each other and worked well together.
- There was ongoing work to improve staff motivation and improve the culture of the service through giving positive feedback and taking a more supportive approach.