Newport Care Reacts To Damning CQC Report Into Cornwall Home

Newport Care has pledged to improve standards at its Holywell Bay Nursing Home near Newquay following a less than satisfactory report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Speaking to This is Cornwall, spokesman for the organisation Paul Tatla said the home was working closely with the local council, healthcare professionals, relatives of residents and NHS Kernow to ensure changes are made.

"Our focus is on delivering excellent care to our residents and remaining a valuable local employer. We recognise that we need to make improvements to our service and are working hard to do so," he was quoted as saying.

His comments came after a CQC investigation unearthed a number of worrying deficiencies in the way vulnerable residents were being treated.

The inspections took place in the summer and a report was published soon after, which suggested some people were left in their chairs for up to nine hours at a time.

There were also incidents that resulted in patients with dementia and mental health problems being stuck in lifts.

Food and fluid charts were found to be inaccurate and the CQC also documented a lack of qualified staff at certain times. Some residents were left without adequate water supplies, leaving them at risk of dehydration.

The CQC conducted a further inspection at the home in October and the results are expected to be published in due course.

A joint statement from Cornwall Council and NHS Kernow confirmed that they are both keeping a close eye on developments at the centre and weekly multi-agency visits are being held to ensure residents are not being neglected.

An improvement plan has been introduced and the council and NHS Kernow are actively checking that this is being followed.

There have been a number of cases of poor quality care across the UK in 2013. Last month, the Cumbria Times and Star reported that an MP for Workington had labelled the county's residential homes "a ticking time-bomb".

Tony Cunningham's comments came shortly after the CQC confirmed there was significant room for improvement in the care offered by some homes in the region.

Expert Opinion

Following an inspection the CQC has highlighted improvements that need to be made at the Holywell Bay nursing home in Newquay. <br/> <br/>The fact that some of the residents, who by their nature will be staying at the home because they are vulnerable, were at risk of dehydration or being cared for by unqualified staff is cause for alarm. <br/> <br/>It is important that these improvements are made as soon as possible to ensure resident safety is at the heart of how the home is being run." Julie Lewis - Partner