Elderly and sick left at 'risk of harm' in Kirkby 'extra care' scheme

Elderly and sick residents at an 'extra care' scheme in Kirkby are being placed at 'risk of harm', according an inspection report. The Maples housing complex was previously rated as 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), but the latest findings have resulted in a 'Requires Improvement' assessment after serious concerns were identified around residents' safety.

According to CQC inspectors, one of the main issues at The Maples was around the administration of medications which they said were not always stored safely, given as prescribed or in a safe way. The report said this placed 'people at risk of harm' and the systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service were not 'fully effective or sufficient' to monitor and mitigate risks to people's health and welfare.

Another area identified for improvement was the management of care plans. The report stated: "People's needs and risks were not always adequately assessed or monitored to ensure care plans were accurate and up to date. This meant staff lacked clear information on the care and support people required to keep them safe and well.

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"People did not always receive their support at the times agreed or for the length of time planned for. This placed their safety and wellbeing at risk."

The support services at The Maples are provided by Cera Care who said the quality of their care is very important and the inspection rated the service 'good' in the 'Responsive', 'Effective' and 'Caring' categories. A spokesperson added: "At the time of the inspection, we had already identified an issue with some staff schedules. These points were thoroughly addressed, and significant improvements have already been made."

The CQC stated that these shortcomings amounted a breach of Regulation 12 and 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The report added: "Service improvements were needed with regard to ensuring people's care plans were up to date and accurately reflected their needs and support requirements.

"The systems in place to ensure visits were completed as agreed and on time were not effective and the management of medicines was not safe.

CQC inspectors noted that Cera Care management teams acknowledged improvements were required and are committed to doing so and said people were generally happy with the staff and shared positive comments. Good practice was also identified with praise afforded to the 'care' and 'kindness' demonstrated by a well trained staff. However, some residents had mixed experiences regarding the timing of calls, the inconsistency and lateness of staff and continual problems with their medications.

One anonymised resident cited in the report said: "No they don’t arrive on time (we get a rota but it is never accurate on timings)". Another resident added: "I must have my medication on time with only a leeway of 15 minutes either side of the times but they have just ignored this and continue to change the times. I know exactly what medication I am on and if a new carer comes, I have to tell them what to give me."

In reference to complaints, CQC inspectors said management had 'not always acknowledged' safeguarding issues, but accept this requires improvement. The inspectors visited the scheme in February but have just published their report and have been in discussions with Cera Care over the proceeding months.

A spokesperson for Cera Care added: "We have also since rolled out our new technology to this site, to ensure visit scheduling, digital care planning and medication adherence are tightly managed.

"We are continuing to review this site, and will be conducting regular assessments to ensure it resumes its previous performance standard of ‘Good’ or above."