Enforcement Action Has Been Taken On A Care Home In York

A new report released by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has slammed a York-based care home for cleanliness and infection control issues.

There are three gradings given to each aspect of a residential home when inspectors visit.

'Standards Met' indicates guidelines are being followed, 'Action Needed' demonstrates the need for a change in culture and practices, but is not very serious, while 'Enforcement Action' shows a lack of care and possible neglect that means the CQC has to step in and improve standards.

At the St Catherine's Care Home, it was recorded that guidelines were not being fully applied in all six of the relevant benchmarks and enforcement action was taken in terms of infection control.

Inspectors had previously been made aware of poor hygiene at the home and it shared its visit to St Catherine's with the North Yorkshire and York Community Infection Prevention and Control Team.

Investigations revealed some equipment; including hoists, wheelchairs and weighing scales were all dirty or stained.

An odour was also noticed around the site and sluice rooms' waste was not disposed of properly. Tiles on certain floor surfaces were dirty, chipped and often difficult to clean.

Soap dispensers were dirty and certain areas of the home showed a distinct lack of maintenance.

Bosses at St Catherine's will now have to liaise with local authorities to improve standards before another CQC inspection. If the situation does not improve in the near future the site may face sanctions including fines, closure or prosecution.

A statement released by the CQC after it released the report read: "People were not prevented from the risk of infection because appropriate guidance had not been followed and there were inefficient systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

"The time taken to administer medication meant that people did not always receive their medicines in a timely way which meant that people may not receive their medication as required."

Expert Opinion

The conditions described by the CQC at this care home are unacceptable. It is worrying that they had not been complying with the strict guidelines in terms of infection control and cleanliness and therefore potentially putting patients at serious risk. Urgent action is required in this case to ensure that facilities are brought up to standard as patient safety should be the number one concern. <br/> <br/>“It is vital that the public are made aware of this information and they are able to consider their options in terms of their own healthcare. It is essential that every effort is made to assess the findings of the CQC’s analysis of all local trusts to consider what can be done to improve standards of patient care and safety.” <br/> Lisa Jordan - Partner