The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has warned Monet Lodge in South Manchester that it needs to make significant improvement to its services. The hospital has been placed into special measures after being rated inadequate following an inspection in February.
CQC has also issued three warning notices to the provider, Making Space. These relate to concerns around; ineffective systems and processes managing risk for people using the service, unsafe and ill-maintained premises and equipment, and incomplete levels of appropriate training for staff.
CQC carried out this unannounced focused inspection following concerns raised about the care of people and the infection prevention and control measures in place to protect people from COVID-19.
Monet Lodge is an independent hospital which is run by Making Space. It provides care for up to 20 older people with complex mental health problems and specialises in dementia care. Previously Monet Lodge was rated good overall.
Brian Cranna, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said:
“During our inspection of Monet Lodge, inspectors highlighted a number of areas of concern about the care and treatment people were receiving.
“Staff were not receiving regular supervision and meetings had been cancelled due to the pandemic. This meant all communication with staff was done through handovers or emails, and we were concerned that this was allowing elements of a closed culture to develop since we last inspected.
“It was also disappointing to see that staff had little interaction with people during their mealtimes. We would expect to see more interaction in this type of service as it helps people living with dementia maintain social relationships and improves their self-esteem, which helps them have a better quality of life.
“We have issued Monet Lodge with three warning notices and placed the service in special measures to ensure significant improvements are made quickly, and embedded.
“However, I am pleased to report the leadership team responded rapidly and positively to the concerns we raised, developing an urgent action plan to address our immediate concerns.
“We will continue to monitor and work with stakeholders to ensure the hospital is kept under review and re-inspect within six months to check for improvements.”
During the inspection, CQC found:
- The service was not safe, clean, well-equipped, well furnished, well maintained or fit for purpose
- Staff had not received basic training to keep patients safe from avoidable harm
- The service did not use systems and processes to safely prescribe, administer, record and store medicines
- The service did not have a good track record on safety and environmental risks had not been escalated or addressed
- Governance processes did not operate effectively at team level and performance and risk were not managed well
- Governance structures were not effective and there was a lack of oversight from the registered manager and provider
- There were elements of a closed culture that had developed since the last inspection. A closed culture is a poor culture that increases the risk of harm to people using the service and may include abuse and human rights breaches.
Full details of the inspection are given in the report published on our website.
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