CQC called in to inspect 'inadequate' Bluewater Nursing Home amid fears of residents' safety

Monitors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have once again been called into Bluewater Nursing Home, in Kingston Road, Buckland, Portsmouth.

The facility, which looks after 21 people aged over 65, has been in special measures since the CQC rated it as ‘inadequate’ in November 2017 – the lowest mark.

Since then, a series of ‘targeted inspections’ have taken place to monitor how management and staff are addressing specific issues.

The CQC said the latest probe – which took place last month – had been prompted following ‘numerous concerns’ relating to the management of risk and medicines.

In particular, health monitors were worried about the potential of residents choking on food which had not been correctly prepared.

The CQC’s report said: ‘At this inspection whilst people did not tell us they felt unsafe, we found ongoing concerns regarding the management of choking risk, skin integrity, falls, behaviours and constipation.

‘Staff lacked an understanding of the needs of people and we were not assured people received the support they required to keep them safe at all times.

‘We found ongoing concerns regarding the management of medicines and people were not receiving their medicines in line with their prescriptions.’

During the inspection, a representative from Portsmouth City Council described how officials had observed that some people had been ‘left in their own faeces and urine which had dried’, the CQC said.

‘At this inspection visit we did not observe this and the local authority representatives who accompanied CQC on this visit confirmed they did also not observe this,’ CQC inspectors wrote in their report.

‘However, we did note that some people who were living in the home, had unclean fingernails. These had a brown substance under their nails, and it indicated they had not been appropriately supported with this.

‘In addition, the local authority representatives showed us during our visit, an incontinence pad that was full of faeces, that had been left on a person's chest of drawers, open.

‘They had been required to tell staff to remove this. We could not be assured that people's personal care needs were being met or their dignity respected at all times.’

Bosses at the home have been asked to take ‘immediate action’ to address choking risks and other issues.

And while the manager of the home confirmed ‘some action to reduce immediate risk’ had been actioned, bosses ‘did not provide any assurances about their oversight of the service’, inspectors said.

The CQC said the latest inspection demonstrated an ‘ongoing concern about the culture and oversight in the service’.

‘Based on the last three inspections carried out at this service, we would have expected the provider to have implemented a clear systematic approach to addressing the culture and checking staff actions and competence, which would aim to ensure that people were not placed at continued risk,’ inspectors said.

‘Due to finding ongoing concerns of a similar nature, we were not confident the registered person had done this.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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