Cobridge nursing home TVs drowned out sound of patient alarms
TELEVISIONS were turned up so loud at a nursing home that staff did not hear alarm calls for help from distressed patients, a report has revealed.
Inspectors visiting Scotia Heights in Cobridge were told about the problem, alongside a number of other concerns.
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TV's were turned up so load at Scotia Heights in Cobridge, they drowned out patient alarms.
They include vulnerable people being given the wrong medicines because nurses were distracted during their rounds.
And a learning disability nurse was found to be covering patients who had breathing problems when she had no training in that specialism.
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Now Scotia Heights has been warned it faces fines or other penalties if it doesn't improve.
The 60-bed home, mainly for pensioners with dementia and other mental illnesses, received two unannounced visits from the Care Quality Commission regulator in November.
Inspectors found residents were put at risk by low staffing levels, a high turnover of temporary workers and newly-qualified carers used in areas they were not trained in.
Their report told how:
A patient was put at risk on a trip out as the escorting care worker was unskilled to deal with urgent care required;
Nurses were found to be finishing their day shifts early in order to return for night stints due to staff shortages;
Staff recorded as being on duty were really attending training sessions;
Seven times last October staff had to respond to an agitated resident leaving low supervision of six other patients.
Andrea Gordon, CQC deputy director of operations for the central region, said: "Scotia Heights needs to address this issue or face further consequences."
The CQC issued the enforcement notices for failings on standards of staffing and quality andsuitability of management. It also found previous concerns had not been addressed.
But the commission said it was encouraged the home now had an action plan to improve.
Its report said: "There were a number of medication errors where the distraction of staff during rounds was the root cause. One relative told us they had raised concerns several times about the volume of televisions meaning that nurse alarms were not heard by staff."
While at the home, inspectors heard a patient's alarm but as staff could not hear it, a relative had to fetch a nurse to respond.
A spokesman for the home said: "We are taking this matter very seriously and continue to work to ensure the home returns to our high standards. At a subsequent inspection last Friday feedback was positive and indicated we are now fully compliant."
Comments
by shotgun_tez
Wednesday, January 16 2013, 9:24AM
“diginity respect long gone profit to many managers nobody communicating its truly disgraceful that this goes on google halopridol and the amount of elderly people given that wicked drug is shocking we all will get old we all are entitled to diginity and respect a lot of these homes are nothing more than death camps,”
by PlayboyLeaLea
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 11:39PM
“LewisL & pop 77, you should be used to this by now. i live just off holden bridge by the cemetary, and apparently this bridge is in cobridge... blatently not x”
by pop77
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 4:50PM
“A-its not in Cobridge.
B-its not an elderly dementia home.
C-the staffing levels at Scotia Heights are by far the best I have ever come across!
D-the big loss in staff was due to the local NHS hospital having a large recruitment.
E- the incident in October was unforseeable and the resident was evicted!
Scotia Heights offers care to a very specialised client group, mainly young adults with ABI. The staffing levels are fantastic, 1 unit = 1 staff nurse, 4/5 carers and 10 residents .... times this by 6 units!!!!
the amount of activity staff is fantastic for a home this size!
Ive worked in a variety of settings the last being an dementia unit with 1 nurse, 4 carers and 30! residents.”
by lacey26
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 2:05PM
“it isn't the care staff its the mangers. when workers work 48hrs a week and only get payed 38hrs holiday pay staff mural gets rather low which courses a high turnover of staff and when that happens the quality of care falls and when mangers promises alsorts of things like nurse training and don't reteralise staff don't trust management and if staff don't trust management care home doesn't work”
by Anon_mow_cop
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 11:02AM
“Another home who are probably running on minimal costs and charging the maximum, they make people like Peter Rachman look honest.”
by LewisL
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 10:19AM
“Since when has this area been Cobridge?? Thought Scotia Road was in Burslem/Tunstall? It's next to Dimensions Leisure Centre!”
by pensioner46
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 10:07AM
“Seven times last October staff had to respond to an agitated resident leaving low supervision of six other patients.The obvious answer to this situation would be to employ more staff , The staff who were attending to the agitated patient were doing their job albeit at the expense of other patients meaning that more staff need to be on duty at anyone time also qualified personnel. The blame lies with the owners and management of this business and not the staff in my opinion.”
by Redtone
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 9:26AM
“They're obviously caring for my bloody neighbours! Grrrrrr!”
by icarehome
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 9:21AM
“Stories like this are all too common and expose the challenges of finding good standard care homes for older people. One strategy that could be adopted by the friends and relatives of older people living in care homes that don't meet essential standards is to help them switch to homes that provide decent services that treat people with dignity and respect. If we all did this, the poor homes would soon go out of business and the quality homes would flourish.”