By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
A Nottingham care home has been rated ‘inadequate’ after inspectors found it was dirty and some staff were not properly trained and recruited.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has placed Wollaton Park Care Home in special measures.
The home, in Lambourne Drive, opened in 2012.
Run by Medina View Limited, it was looking after 37 people, some of whom may have been living with dementia, at the time of inspection in November.
Inspectors held the unannounced visit after concerns were received about infection control.
The home was rated ‘inadequate’ overall and in two specific areas – safe and well-led. The service was rated ‘requires improvement’ in the ‘effective’ rating.
‘Caring and responsive’ remained rated as ‘good’ as they were not inspected.
Inspectors said people living at the home were not protected from the risk of infection.
The report stated: “We found significant areas of concern in relation to poor infection control practice at the service, placing people, relatives and visitors to the service at risk of exposure to infection.
“A number of the rooms we observed were significantly unhygienic with broken furniture and poorly maintained equipment. We discussed this with the deputy manager, and it was addressed immediately.
“Areas of the home were in a state of disrepair, meaning it could not be cleaned effectively. The home was visibly dirty in parts, with stains and malodour observed on some mattresses, bedding, flooring and furniture.”
Multiple items of equipment were “worn and soiled”.
Some bedrooms and bathrooms were “filled with equipment” so people were unable to access their toilet space independently.
The provider has since completed an audit of the mattresses and bedding.
The report added: “People were not always safeguarded from abuse and avoidable harm.
“One person was identified as requiring observation from staff when eating, due to a history of choking. This person was left alone during lunch and tea and observed picking up food from the floor. This left the person at risk of harm from choking and infection.”
The report added that “the majority of people we spoke with had concerns about the use of their call bell”.
One person living at the home was at high risk of falls but the alarm in their room had “not been maintained by the provider” and had been faulty since August 2023.
“One staff member told us they had been raising the call bell faults as a concern for ‘weeks’ and nothing had been done about this”, the report added.
The provider did not always ensure there were “sufficient numbers of suitable staff” and safe recruitment processes.
The report added that not all staff received training and completed an induction when they started work.
People living at the home were “left at risk of being supported by insufficient numbers of staff” with the skills to support needs.
All the staff the inspectors spoke to said the provider and directors “did not carry out regular visits to the service”. There was no improvement plan in place and there was “not a positive and open culture at the service”.
The report added: “We did not always see best practice being used during the inspection. One person who lived with mental health needs, was ignored frequently by staff. We raised our concerns following the inspection with the registered manager, the local authority and the external teams supporting this person.”
However, people and their relatives said staff were kind and caring.
Staff were also positive in their feedback about the registered manager and the support they offered to the staff team.
Greg Rielly, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: “When we inspected Wollaton Park Care Home, we were disappointed to see leaders didn’t understand the issues they faced which resulted in people receiving a poor level of care.
“We had serious concerns over their ineffective systems, poor infection prevention and control, as well as the lack of staff training which was putting people at risk of harm.
“This wasn’t a pleasant place to live for the people who called it home. We saw some areas of the home needed repairs and deep cleaning, especially people’s bedrooms and communal spaces. As well as being an unpleasant place to spend time, the unhygienic environment also put people at risk of infection and damaged furniture put them at risk of harm.
“We have told Wollaton Park Care Home where we expect to see rapid and widespread improvements and will continue to monitor them closely to keep people safe while this happens. We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to take action if people are not receiving the care they have a right to expect.”
The home has been contacted for comment.
