Bank House Care Home, Bury put in 'special measures' after inspection

Bank House Care Home on Brandleshome Road has been given an overall rating of "inadequate" by healthcare watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following a "focused" inspection on three of its areas.

Following the CQC visit, its safety and leadership were deemed to be "inadequate" and the responsiveness of the service "requires improvement".

At the time of the unannounced inspection in May, 32 people were being care for.

The review comes after the care home was told to improve last year after another "focused" inspection on its safety and leadership.

The latest CQC report said: “We received concerns in relation to the management and administration of people's medicines, staffing levels, standards of care and support, management and oversight of the service and visiting arrangements.

“As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, responsive and well-led only.”

Regarding the safety at the care home, it was found that medicines were not being administered as prescribed.

Some residents were missing medicines as they were out of stock and the home had not obtained more before the previous month had run out, the report said.

It was also reported that "safeguarding systems and processes were not in place to ensure people were adequately protected against harm or injury".

The report said: “One person told us they felt their liberty had been taken away from them, as they were unable to leave the home.

“Gaps in staff training were identified. Some of the staff spoken with were not able to clearly demonstrate their understanding of MCA and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) procedures.

“We were told, "Not too sure about DoLS" and "I have an idea who lacks capacity here, but not 100 per cent sure.””

The leadership of the site was found to be "inadequate" after it was found that it did not have a registered manager.

The report added: “When we asked relatives if they were kept up to date with any changes, we were told, "No not really", "Yes as much as they can" and "Communication could be better, staff and the last manager have left, but nobody at senior level tells you. You tend to hear it from the staff.””

It added: “Feedback from people's relatives was negative.

“They told us they felt there was insufficient investment, poor communication and a lack of confidence their family member was being cared for properly, particularly due to the changes in the staff team.”

Two areas which the service provider was not examined in the inspection, whether it is caring and effective, are classed as "good".

As a result of the inspection, the care home has been put into "special measures" and will be re-inspected in six months’ time.

If enough improvements have not been made in that period, enforcement action may be taken.

In response to the report, Ghazala Mahmood from the care home said: "Bank House Care Home is a well-known, respected, and popular home within Bury.

"However, the care home has faced some challenges in the previous four months primarily due to suddenly losing the registered manager and several experienced senior and care staff. 

"However, immediate actions were taken including securing block bookings with locum agencies to maintain safe staffing levels, upskilling and training existing staff and establishing close links with local services, namely Bury Pharmacy and Woodbank Surgery.

"Furthermore, without hesitation, I, Mrs Ghazala Mahmood, took up the role of interim manager for the third time.

"We can all appreciate, it is not an easy task to co-ordinate the care of 36 residents at that point in time, some with complex medical and physical needs, maintain staff morale yet try and fulfil the role of a manager, administrator, and senior carer.

"To say the learning curve was steep is an understatement.

"Naturally, this placed pressure on the home therefore voluntarily we decided to stop taking new admissions because the priority was to maintain the well-being and safety of our service users. 

"Nonetheless, we remained determined and motivated.

"We knew, with time, we could turn things around and to support us, we also brought onboard, the registered manager at our other care home - CQC rated ‘good’.

"We kept Bury Council and the CQC informed about our situation.

"We continue to work in partnership with both agencies to address all the issues outlined within their report, namely care planning and medication.

"We are pleased to say, we have welcomed a new manager, deputy manager, administrator as well as senior carers and carers to our team.

"We also have a new activities co-ordinator who will develop and plan activities around our residents interests and needs.

"Over the coming weeks, we are focusing on staff training and development, delivering individual and person-centred care, quality assurance and reviewing policies and procedures in relation to safe administration of medication.

"We acknowledge this will take time, but we remain positive and are committed to achieving the standards of care set out by the CQC and are already working on addressing the issues highlighted in the report.

"We would like to extend our thanks to our residents and their friends and families, Bury Pharmacy, Navimed's representatives and Woodbank Surgery for their continued support during this period."