‘Unsafe’ and ‘unclean’ Lee-on-the-Solent care home Glen Heathers lacking in ‘skilled staff’ to close after inspectors find residents at risk of malnutrition and pressure sores

Glen Heathers Nursing Home, which cares for older people including those with dementia and physical disabilities, has announced that it will cease to operate as a registered nursing home from June 16.

The damning CQC report said that investigators found the home to be ‘unclean and cluttered’ with a hole in the floor, and identified ‘unsafe care and treatment’ which left residents at ‘risk of malnutrition’ and ‘pressure sores’.

Inspectors also said that bed rails were being used without people’s consent, and that there were not always records to show whether bruising to people had been investigated - a failure to recognise potential abuse.

A spokesperson for the home said that the ‘carefully considered and difficult’ decision to close Glen Heathers was due ‘to factors including an acute shortage of registered nurses and support staff’.

CQC found that there were not enough skilled staff to keep people safe and instead the provider used agency staff who had not all been trained properly – and that recruitment checks were not always carried out safely.

Rebecca Bauers, CQC’s head of adult social care inspection, said inspectors found ‘several examples of unsafe care and treatment’.

She added: ‘We identified there had been a number of incidents at Glen Heathers, including where a person living in the home had gone missing and staff had not noticed for approximately 30 minutes. Four days after the incident, the manager was still not aware it had taken place, as staff failed to report it.

‘People told us they were sometimes told off by staff for ringing their call bell to ask for help and staff didn’t always answer when they pressed the bell.

‘We heard one person, who was doubly incontinent, calling out for staff to change their continence pad, which records indicated hadn’t been changed for at least eight hours. We heard the person tell a staff member a carer came in and turned their call bell off but didn’t come back.

‘One person who was at risk of choking needed to be given support while drinking fluids. We found three drinks had been left within their reach, which they could have tried to drink while unaccompanied.

‘Another person had fallen five times since February this year, yet there was no risk assessment and action plan to prevent them having further falls in their care plan.’

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The report also said that infection control was not being managed safely, and identified concerns about the safe management of medicines as records were incomplete. Investigators said that one person prescribed medicine to manage agitation was given it twice a day with no notes as to why it had been given, which meant the medicine could be used to control their behaviour.

The care home spokesperson added: ‘We are committed to working closely with the local authority team to ensure minimum disruption to the service users and to facilitate as smooth a transition as possible.

‘Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their understanding and continued support during this difficult time.’

CQC says it is considering what further action may need to be taken to keep people who are still living there safe.