Residents' dignity 'compromised' at unhygienic care home

Hilton Rose Retirement Home, in Broadway North, used staff who had not been properly vetted, did not provide residents required medicines and hygiene issues highlighted unclean communal areas and some areas which smelled of urine, a new report has revealed.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission also found insufficient staffing levels, care plans not updated and residents not protected from abuse.

Call bells were left out of residents' reach and inspectors found inadequate risk assessments and people being supported to move in ways which could cause injury.

The health watchdog has now warned that if improvements are not made within the next six months it could lead to the business being closed down.

The report said: "People were not protected by the provider from potential abuse.

"Staff were not always sufficiently vetted for the roles they were working in to ensure their suitability to support the people living at Hilton Rose.

"One person was working in the home without any ID or background checks having been completed and without evidence that they were qualified to complete the role they were carrying out.

"Another person had insufficient ID and background checks completed, including not having a valid DBS and references being obtained after their first day of employment."

The inspectors also said people's privacy and dignity was being 'compromised' as people were using toilets with the doors left open and were left with aprons on and food down them for lengthy periods of time.

Medicines audits had failed to identify errors such as missed medicines, people running out of medicines and inaccurate record keeping.

The report said: "The overall rating for this provider is inadequate.

"This means that is has been placed into special measures.

"Services placed in special measure will be inspected again within six months.

"If insufficient improvements have been made such that there remains a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating the service."

The retirement home was judged as inadequate for safety and how well it was led, while bosses were told improvements were needed to ensure services were effective, caring and responsive.

The unannounced three-day inspection took place in June when 25 people were living there, with the majority of them suffering from dementia.

Retirement home bosses vowed that action was being taken to bring in improvements.

Director Helen Hampton-Cornforth said: "Everything is being put in place to put everything right so we can get a different rating next time when they come back."