Dismissals after'˜serious injuries' at nursing home

A care home has been slammed by a health watchdog after an inspection found serious incidents in which residents were hurt had not been reported to the authorities.
Merry Hall Care Home in FarehamMerry Hall Care Home in Fareham
Merry Hall Care Home in Fareham

Merry Hall Nursing and Residential Care Home in Kiln Road, Fareham, was put into special measures by the Care Quality Commission with the watchdog rating the centre ‘inadequate’ in its overall rating in its April 13 report following a snap two-day inspection on February 10 and 11.

The management team in place at the centre has since been fired and replaced following the report which raised multiple concerns.

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The report said: ‘Serious injuries caused by equipment and an unexplained serious injury had not been reported to external bodies.

‘They had not been investigated by the registered manager meaning people may not have been safeguarded.

‘The manager was unable to explain why these incidents had not been reported and confirmed no investigation had taken place.’

Merry Hall provides residential and nursing care for adults aged over 65 who may have dementia or other illnesses.

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The report describes that a resident was hurt by an item of equipment and that the equipment had not been reassessed following the injury.

Inspectors found the injured person had previously been injured by the same equipment before.

They also found an unexplained injury to another resident.

Hampshire County Council was notified about the injuries following the unannounced inspection and the local authority’s adult care team has since been working closely with the care home.

A council spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that we were notified by the CQC of two incidents, which had not been previously reported to us.

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‘Our immediate priority was to investigate, and ensure that the appropriate remedial action had been taken and that residents there were receiving safe care.

‘Good progress is being made in this respect.’

During the inspection, the investigators spoke to some of the 28 residents living at the care home.

Despite the errors that were flagged up, residents were happy with the care home and one told the inspectors: ‘They keep me safe and if I have a fall they are here to look after me.’

A statement from Merry Hall read: ‘We responded immediately and effectively to all issues raised.

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‘We are moving forward and our new management team has worked tirelessly to rectify the concerns and ensure the safety of all residents.’

Fareham’s MP Suella Fernandes said that she will work with the county council and the CQC to ensure that progress is made at Merry Hall.

She told The News: ‘This is a very worrying report.’

The care home is under review by the CQC and will be inspected again between now and August.