CQC takes action to protect people at Cheshire care home

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Aaron Court Care Home in Ellesmere Port inadequate and placed the home into special measures to protect people, following an inspection in March and April.

Aaron Court Care Home, run by Aaroncare Limited, provides nursing and personal care for up to 60 older people. The inspection was undertaken to follow up on concerns about poor care highlighted to CQC by people living at the service and their relatives.

Following this inspection, the areas of safe, caring, effective, responsive and well-led have moved down from good to inadequate. Due to the level of concerns found, inspectors issued six warning notices for improvements to be made in the following areas: person-centred care, treating people with dignity and respect, the need for consent, safe care and treatment, staffing and how the service is managed.

CQC has also placed the service into special measures which involves close monitoring to ensure people are safe while they make improvements. Special measures also provides a structured timeframe so services understand when they need to make improvements by, and what action CQC will take if this doesn’t happen.

Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: 

“When we inspected Aaron Court, it was disappointing to see such a deterioration in the quality of care being provided since we last inspected. Poor leadership and ineffective risk management had led to people receiving unsafe and inappropriate care in a place they call home, and we found several areas where urgent improvements are needed to keep people safe.

“One of the biggest issues we saw, was people being placed at risk of infection due to widespread uncleanliness throughout the home. Multiple areas including communal spaces, bathrooms, bedrooms, and laundry areas were visibly dirty and poorly maintained. In several instances, we found bodily fluids, general waste and ingrained dirt in both shared and personal spaces which is totally unacceptable.  

“Staff had little time to engage or support people, making mealtimes rushed and impersonal. On the day we visited, everyone was served egg and chips, and residents who didn’t like eggs were left with just chips resulting in people being hungry and not being fed a nutritious meal.

“It was upsetting to see people receiving minimal staff interaction throughout their days to aid their wellbeing and prevent loneliness. There were no activities available, and many people were just sat silently in chairs or watching TV.

“Additionally, several people were routinely kept in bed throughout the day and night with no recorded rationale or any indication this was their choice. Staff and relatives told us they had raised these concerns with the registered manager, but no action was taken.

“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, and continued improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time. We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to use our regulatory powers further if people aren’t receiving the care they have a right to expect.”

Inspectors found:

• Staff turnover was high and the agency staff employed didn’t know people individually or what their preferences were.

• Relatives found personal items broken and discarded under people’s beds, and confidential documents left accessible in communal areas.

• People didn’t have choice and control over their own care, treatment and well-being.

• Staff didn’t consistently treat residents with kindness, respect, and dignity.

• Leaders hadn’t implemented effective processes for people to raise concerns.

• Leaders at Aaron Court placed people at risk of harm as there were unsafe areas of the building, including hazardous substances in communal areas and trip hazards in people’s bedrooms.

• Staff didn’t ensure people’s medications were stored or administered safely.

• Some parts of the home were uncomfortably cold including people’s bedrooms.

• People’s care plans often contained outdated or inaccurate information.

The report will be published on CQC’s website in the next few days.

A spokesperson for Aaron Court Care Home said:

We are deeply disappointed with our latest CQC report and took immediate action to address the issues raised by inspectors earlier this year.

As noted in the report, a new interim manager was put in place following the inspection in March, with close oversight from our senior management team. Since then, a newly appointed permanent home manager has taken over and is continuing to lead improvements and oversee the day-to-day care of our residents.

An action plan was developed and shared with the CQC, and we are working hard to ensure we meet the high standards of care that our residents, their loved ones, and we expect. Our highest priority remains providing a safe, comfortable, and caring home for our residents.