'Inadequate' care home criticised over patient care

A care home failed to find ways to stop altercations and did not tell relatives about a resident's fractured leg, a health watchdog said.

During visits in the spring and autumn, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Quenby Rest Home in Thorrington, near Colchester, as inadequate.

It found that - while safety incidents were being recorded - efforts were not being made to identify the root causes or to develop sensible ways to avoid them.

The home, which is registered for dementia care, has been contacted for comment.

In one example in the CQC report, a minor injury was sustained during an altercation between two people.

A bruise of unknown cause on a person's elbow was also noted.

The home said that "when a person shows distress and agitation, staff are to try distraction techniques" and would ask "if they would like to sit in a calmer environment".

The report said the home's reviews did not consider the "primary need or trigger" for the resident's agitation, nor did it support them in finding ways to stop repeat incidents.

Inspectors were told staff had failed to update the family of a resident who was in hospital with a fractured femur.

A relative told the CQC they had been called to say their relative was in hospital and had needed surgery after a bad fall.

They added: "I wasn't told how it had happened, and I haven't heard anything since.

"I found the hospital they were in and had to track them down. I found out they had fractured their femur."

Another concern was fire safety.

The CQC took urgent enforcement action to improve it.

Its report added that safeguarding concerns and accidents were "not being used as an opportunity to learn".

"There was a continued lack of personalised care for people living at the service," the report stated.

"Improvements were needed in staff understanding of dementia care to enable them to support people and deliver care that was effective and person-centred.

"Governance systems were ineffective and needed further development to provide an accurate overview of the service.

"Whilst some audits had been introduced, there was a lack of review and evaluation to complete the quality assurance cycle and inform the direction of the quality and safety of the service."

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