Kingswood Manor care home in Liverpool has been deemed inadequate by the Care Quality Commission following an inspection in February.
The CQC found that areas of the home, located in the affluent suburb of Woolton, were ‘unhygienic and had not been suitably maintained’. Damningly, it also found ‘shortfalls in the management of food hygiene standards, fire safety and the emergency call bell system’. The home, run by Harbour Healthcare, had previously been given a ‘good’ rating after an inspection in 2019.
In addition, the CQC inspection revealed that staff at Kingswood ‘did not always ensure people received their medicines as prescribed’. Staff did not always follow safe infection prevention and control processes according to the CQC, which also found that staff and residents were ‘exposed to the risk of transmitting infectious disease, including COVID-19’. Overall, Harbour Healthcare had ‘failed to ensure people were consistently protected from avoidable harm’.
There was something of a glimmer of hope for Kingswood, however, in the fact that it scored a ‘good’ in the ‘Caring’ category, with the CQC finding: ‘People and their representatives told us they felt safe and well cared for. We observed people had built trusting relationships with staff. People had access to stimulating activities and encouraged to maintain contact with friends and family’.
Nonetheless, however, the CQC found that the home ‘was not well-led’. It has now placed Kingswood in special measures and plans to re-inspect the home in six months to check for what it hopes will be ‘significant improvements’.
