CQC inspectors find safety risks at Derbyshire care home and order improvement

An unannounced inspection team visited Lilybank Hamlet Care Home, on Chesterfield Road, In Matlock, in June to assess progress on a number of safety issues first identified in January.

That original report concluded with an overall rating of ‘Requires Improvement’ for the facility, based on the same rating of its safety and leadership criteria, but in an update published on Thursday, August 24, it was downgraded to ‘Inadequate’ on safety, though the overall rating was unchanged.

The new report states: “This meant people were not safe and were at risk of avoidable harm … At our last inspection the provider had failed to ensure care and treatment was being provided in a safe way for people. This was a breach of Regulation 12 (Safe Care and treatment) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

“At this inspection, not enough improvement had been made and we found the provider remained in breach of Regulation 12.”

The nature of the inspection meant that the home was judged only on its leadership and safety, rather than any other factors, and the verdict was delivered in spite of an action plan drawn up by the home after the previous inspection.

In terms of care, while inspectors did note that it was “kind and compassionate,” “respected people's privacy and dignity” and that “family members felt that their relatives were safe,” they also found that medicines were not always managed safely and “guidance was not always available ready for staff to administer these.”

A list of more visible failings goes on to suggest a culture of poor maintenance practices, with a lack of proper checks on equipment such as hoist slings and hot water taps which left people at risk of injury.

The report notes that “cleaning procedures were not always effective” but adds: “We were assured that the provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections.”

Inspectors also found that actions recommended in March to prevent a build-up of Legionella in the homes water system had not been carried out.

Furthermore, the home had not updated and rehearsed its fire evacuation procedures as recommended, potentially placing residents and staff in jeopardy in the event of a blaze.

Mick Ogle, compliance manager at the home’s parent company Progressive Care, said: “We've considered the CQC's report in detail and have fed back to them on a number of areas where we feel it does not reflect the reality of our service, providing evidence.

“There is no suggestion that any harm has come to our residents and we are pleased that all the feedback from residents and relatives in the report is positive.

“However, our primary focus is on addressing any areas where improvements can be made so that we can continue to provide excellent care that the CQC themselves describe as kind and compassionate.”

The CQC will now require the home’s managers to present a new action plan on how to improve standards and will monitor progress ahead of another follow-up inspection.

To read the full report, go to https://tinyurl.com/5t3b5b55.