Flies found in food and drinks of residents in Florence Court care home in Segensworth, Fareham

Florence Court Care Home, in Segensworth Road, Segensworth, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission which found a fly infestation at the house, putting people at risk of harm.

The service supports older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection, there were 32 people living there.

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The CQC visited the home, in the Fareham borough, in October 2022 and noticed the fly infestation. Four months later, in January 2023, the commission received two complaints from relatives about the fly infestation.

On their second visit in February 2023, the problem still needed to be addressed.

The house has been facing fly infestation since October 2022. Although it hired a professional company to investigate and fix the problem, the issue was not solved.

The report said: ‘Although some mitigation of risks associated with the fly infestation had been completed, this was limited. The service had used a reputable pest control company to investigate the cause of the infestation. However, when the problem had persisted, the service had not sought other external professional/expert advice to assist in making improvements.’

Some people had skin wounds which were more vulnerable to a risk of infection from the insects.

‘Flies were seen on people’s dressed wounds, found in drinks, and seen on people’s food,’ the report said. ‘This meant there was a risk food and drink were contaminated, which could cause illness.’

A staff member said: ‘Loads of times we find [flies] in people’s drinks; yesterday they were in [resident’s name], and they can’t see the flies.’

During the visit, a CQC officer spoke to family members. One relative said: ‘Two weeks ago, we were clapping [flies] away. In the last few days, they have decreased.’ The resident then said, “No, they haven’t [decreased].’

Residents also expressed their discomfort about the situation. ‘[The flies] drive me mad, but I put up with them, they go up my nose.’

Another person, after describing how they brushed flies away from their drinks and food, said: ‘What else can we say – what is the solution?’

The CQC said: ‘It was clear from talking to staff the flies had created a very unpleasant environment to be living and working in.’

‘It’s not ok, it’s not nice for the residents [people]. Flies in your face – it’s not pleasant. We don’t like it for the 12 hours we are here, it’s not at all nice for them,’ a staff member told the CQC officer.

Following the incidents affecting the health and dignity of people at the service, environmental health, local authority health and social care professionals became involved.

Safeguarding procedures were also not followed under the regulations since some residents presented bruises, and the staff did not always report the incident; hence no assessment or further investigations were done to know how the incident happened.

The report continued: ‘In addition, multiple safeguarding allegations had been raised with the local authority by healthcare professionals and were being investigated. A body map showed bruising to a person’s arm, which was unexplained. On checking, there was no incident report or account to explain the bruising. The deputy manager told us staff record skin injuries on a body map but do not complete incident forms. There were no records to show where the bruise had come from or if it had been investigated at the time it was identified.

‘A lack of investigation into unexplained injuries meant people could be at risk of recurring harm because the cause of the injuries had not been established. We found no evidence that people had been abused; however, systems were not robust to demonstrate safeguarding risks were effectively managed.’

Despite the infestation, the lack of management and the breach of safeguarding policies, residents told the CQC officer that the service provides ‘good care’.

One person said: ‘’Very good, good food and attention and looked after me well” and “I am cared for very well, no complaints at all. They [staff] are prompt at answering calls.’

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: ‘Our adult social care team is working closely with the home to ensure the necessary action is taken to tackle the issues highlighted by the CQC during its recent inspection.

‘We understand the concerns that residents and their families will have as a result of the current situation and have requested that the home prioritises further work to address the infection control issues. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in the coming days and weeks.’

Florence Court Care Home was contacted for comment.