Warning issued to Stacksteads care home

8:00pm Saturday 12th January 2013 in News

A SOCIAL care regulator has issued a formal warning to the provider of a Rossendale care home.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) demanded several improvements be made to Hollybank House in Church Street, Stacksteads, following an unannounced visit.

The house failed to meet safety and suitability standards and officials also had concerns regarding some environmental issues, which they said posed a risk to people living there.

Window restrictors had not been fitted to an upstairs bedroom where required, and inspectors observed the walls in two bedrooms had rough ‘rendered’ surfaces which could cause injury if fallen against.

The home’s central heating boiler was located in the corner of an occupied bedroom and was not locked or secured, posing a risk of burns to anyone accessing it without the appropriate knowledge or expertise.

The flooring in some areas of the home was significantly damaged and was missing tiles in places, presenting a trip hazard to people living and working there.

Inspectors were also concerned that there was no call bell system installed at the home for residents to summon assistance when staff were not visibly present.

Registered provider Susan Footitt said she had addressed all the issues raised in the CQC report within seven days.

She said: “Every single thing mentioned in the original report has been fixed. There was no criticism of the care management here or our clients’ well-being.

“All the issues raised were to do with furnishings or decor and we have got rid of all old furniture, had a leak fixed and replaced broken tiles with a carpet.

“There were no qualms about care at all. The place wasn’t in tatters and the report gave a subjective opinion. We’ve never had problems in the past and the whole crux of the issue was to modernise the place, which we’ve done.”

Hollybank House provides accommodation and personal care for up to five people.

Comments(3)

Busy_bee_me says...
4:37pm Sun 13 Jan 13

What is not mentioned is that health and safety told them not to put window restrictors on the windows! As for the boiler it was encased but the residents damaged it. When you care for mentally challenge people they do have to constantly carry out repairs as they are very strong people that don't realise that they are damaging property. I know all this as I have carried out repairs at hollybank over the years and Susan tries her hardest to keep up with the repairs as damage is be created.

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mavrick says...
9:30pm Sun 13 Jan 13

Perhaps these inspectors could offer help rather than just criticism, It is so easy to stand on the side lines and find fault. I wonder if they offered any financial help towards the repairs. What would the cost be if the facility was removed? some of these inspectors are a little more than objective.

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icarehome says...
2:39pm Mon 14 Jan 13

Stories like this are all too common and expose the challenges of finding good standard care homes for older people. One strategy that could be adopted by the friends and relatives of older people living in care homes that don't meet essential standards is to help them switch to homes that provide decent services that treat people with dignity and respect. If we all did this, the poor homes would soon go out of business and the quality homes would flourish.

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