Many residents at an under-fire care home have not been outside for leisure since lockdown ended, a critical inspection has found.
Several safety and leadership failures were found at Villcare Limited in Eastbury Road, Watford, after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) visit on April 26.
The report released in July concluded it “requires improvement” overall – as full risk assessments were not made for new people staying for a temporary period and other assessments lacked key information.
Inspectors said some staff did not know the key risks residents faced, such as choking, and when a person had a seizure no health professional was contacted.
Alarms were also raised over the leadership of the home, particularly as people had not gone out socially since the end of lockdown.
The report reads: “There were no plans being made to make this happen, despite it being noted one person did enjoy this, and another person had in the past.”
Concerns were shared as one person left the home in an unsafe way and police were called, but a safeguarding referral was not made.
The CQC says the body was not notified when certain events happened at the home, despite the fact they should be informed by law.
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While staffing levels were sufficient and recruitment checks were carried out, some staff did not have knowledge of essential checks such as fire evacuation plans.
There was also a lack of advocating for people and finding solutions such as when some residents refused to see a healthcare professional.
Complaints were made about the “tired” environment as rooms were not personalised, carpets were old and one room had a leaking portable radiator.
Managers and staff did not fully understand every aspect of their role and staff did not engage with residents to see if they needed particular help.
Inspectors wrote: “They were not trying to make life interesting and promote people’s interests.”
A warning notice was served due to the failures identified.
Villcare Limited did not respond to an approach for comment.
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