A care home has been ordered to make changes to tackle cleanliness and safety.
Colne Valley Residential Home at Golcar has been rated as “require improvement” by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who visited the home for the second time this year due to it being classed as “inadequate” in April.
However, it gained a rating of good in the areas of caring and responsiveness, a step up from the damning spring review.
In the report, inspectors raised “concerns” over several ongoing issues. These included cleanliness and infection control, first highlighted in April, which this time related to the discovery of dirty slippers and stains in some people’s bedrooms and the safety of residents, whose accidents were “not always looked into thoroughly”.
And despite an ongoing refurbishment following the team’s previous visit, inspectors ruled that “the environment was not dementia friendly” and that “staff were not always working in line with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act”.
Despite stating that the service was well-led, they also criticised a lack of clarity over lines of responsibility .
There were more positive comments regarding the home, which in April was rapped over safety, cleanliness, the attitude of management, responses to complaints and training and understanding about dignity, confidentiality, and health care laws.
Inspectors praised the “caring” service, where staff treated people with kindness and with respect and dignity and said residents enjoyed “meaningful activities” and their food.
Management of complaints and concerns was also welcomed.
Debbie Westhead, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care in the North, said: “If we find that a service requires improvement, we will expect them to provide us with a full plan setting out how they will address the issue. We will share our findings with local commissioners, and we will return in due course to check that they have made the required improvements.”
The home’s manager, Tina Sanderson, said: “We were very pleased that our latest CQC inspection report has found the home to be fully compliant with all regulations and has been recognised as ‘good’ for ‘caring’ and ‘good’ for ‘responsiveness’.
“We plan to continue to improve in all areas and are paying particular attention to areas highlighted by the CQC for requiring improvement.
“With regards to the Mental Capacity Act, we are bringing our systems in line with the recent court ruling following the Cheshire West Case and we will also focus on increased detail in our accident investigations and analysis.
“We place the highest value on a kind and loving approach towards our residents and ensuring a good quality of life through meaningful activities.
“We are also particularly proud of our comprehensive and person-centred care planning which has also been recognised.
“We are currently in the process of a full refurbishment of the home. Once this is completed, the home will offer a high standard, dementia friendly care environment for our residents.
