Huddersfield care home rated inadequate by Care Quality Commission and placed in special measures

Published: 14 October 2016 Page last updated: 12 May 2022
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The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Sun Woodhouse Care Home, Huddersfield that they must make improvements to protect the safety and welfare of people living there.

CQC carried out its most recent inspection on 18, 19, 22 and 23 August. The inspection found that the care being provided by, Eldercare (Halifax) Limited, the provider, was failing to provide care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive or well led.

The report published by CQC can be found on this website.

People told CQC that there was enough staff to support their basic care needs. However, staff told us and the inspector observed, the care workers did not have time to provide activities for the people, which was also part of their role. Accidents and incidents that had occurred were recorded; however, CQC found that one person who had experienced numerous falls in the five months prior to the inspection had not been referred to their GP or had their care plan reviewed.

Some of the findings from the latest inspection included:

People liked the food at the home; however, the inspector found people at risk of weight loss were not weighed according to their care plans and the food and fluids they consumed were not recorded properly.

The temperature of the clinic room at Sun Woodhouse was not checked and recorded and on the first day of inspection we saw it was 25°C. The temperature of the fridge was recorded but not always on a daily basis.

A CQC spokesperson for Adult Social Care in the North, said:

“The care provided at Sun Woodhouse Care Home was of a poor standard.

We checked to see if people had a personal emergency evacuation plan or PEEP. PEEPs provide information for staff or emergency services about what support people need to mobilise plus any other considerations to be taken into account when trying to assist a person to exit the building.

“There was an emergency bag in the main reception area which contained evacuation equipment and information; it also contained a one page tick list of room numbers and issues which might affect a person's ability to evacuate. The list had last been updated on 20 July 2016 and did not include people admitted to Sun Woodhouse since that date. This could mean that people would be at risk in event of an emergency incident as suitable measures had not been taken to minimise concerns.

“There was a lack of audit and monitoring of safety and quality at the home.

People and their relatives had not been asked to feedback about the service so improvements could be made. Multiple breaches of regulation were identified at this inspection and at the two preceding inspections; this included some continuous breaches of the same regulation.

“People are entitled to services that deliver consistently good care and with an overall rating of Inadequate, Sun Woodhouse Care Home, will be placed into special measures by CQC. This regime is designed to make sure there is a timely and coordinated response to inadequate care and we will use it alongside our enforcement policy.

“We have been working with local agencies to ensure that people living at the home are not at undue risk. We will continue to monitor this care home. CQC will consider the appropriate regulatory response to resolve the problems found.”

Ends

For further information, please contact CQC Regional Engagement Manager David Fryer on 07901 514220.

Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here.

Please note: the press office is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters. For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.

About the Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.

We monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find to help people choose care.