Care home still falls short, say inspectors

Brierfields residential care home, Failsworth

A FAILSWORTH care home will remain in special measures after the health watchdog found it still 'requires improvement'.

In the previous two consecutive inspections Brierfields care home received an 'inadequate' rating for the quality of its leadership.

However during the latest two-day visit in February inspectors found improvements had been made at the Brierley Avenue site.

The home's new manager said there had been a "vast improvement" since she started almost five months ago and the home is continuing to make progress.

At the previous inspection in September and October 2016 the Care Quality Commission (CQC) identified seven breaches of the Health and Social Care Act.

The CQC said in their report: "Following the inspection in 2016 the provider sent us an action plan which stated the breaches would be addressed. This inspection was to check improvements had been made and to review the ratings.

"We found action had been taken and the provider was meeting the requirements of seven regulations.

"However, we found that the improvements made in relation to good governance and person-centred care were still not sufficient."

A new manager, who was appointed in September 2016, had not yet applied to register with the CQC despite previously being asked to register.

Care plans were also found to be "task-oriented" with "insufficient detail" to inform or guide staff about risks.

The CQC said: "We saw that staff would sometimes make decisions without consulting people or considering their wishes.

"Staff responded to people's needs but did not always spend time with them."

By way of improvement the home had redecorated a small lounge and introduced environmental measures.

A refurbishment programme was also underway to improve the overall appearance of the home, and systems were being brought in to monitor the quality of the service.

Recruitment procedures had been reviewed, all staff had received DBS certificates, and improvements had been made to ensure staff were "properly trained".

Inspectors said in their report: "All the people we talked with knew the service was facing a number of difficulties but were keen to see these overcome.

"Brierfields was working closely with the local authority, commissioning and safeguarding teams, and with the health service commissioning team to improve standards."

The home's new manager said: "There has been a vast improvement even since I started.

"There are still a few areas we need to develop on but the care and needs of our residents are met.

"We now have more structure and accountability in place. The staff have worked hard to try and turn it around."