Merseyside care home placed in special measures

A care home has been placed in special measures after inspectors found residents with ‘unexplained injuries’.

Beechcroft care home in Prenton, Merseyside, was visited by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors in March following concerns raised via the ‘Share your experience’ link on the watchdog’s website.

The home is rated as ‘requires improvement’ for being caring and ‘inadequate’ for being safe, effective, responsive and well-led.

During the inspection it was found that residents’ needs and risks were not properly supported or managed and support for people was inconsistent and in some instances unsafe.

Some residents sustained accidental injuries due to poor moving and handling, while others had fallen because they were left unsupervised or unsecure in a wheelchair or recliner chair.

The report said: ‘A significant number of these unexplained injuries had not been reported to the CQC as required. Some people sustained similar injuries for a significant period of time but no consideration had been given to whether this indicated potential abuse.’

At a previous inspection in 2017 the service was rated ‘good’ by the CQC.

Beechcroft is run by Flightcare Ltd and provides accommodation for up to 43 people who need help with their personal care or nursing care. At the time of the inspection 40 people lived in the home.

A Flightcare spokesperson said: ‘We would like to apologise to all our residents, their family & friends for having fallen below the standard of care that we expect all of our care homes to provide. The wellbeing of our residents is of paramount importance to us.

‘We have taken on board everything that CQC have stated in their inspection report and are working closely with CQC & Wirral Council to address all the shortcomings in an open & transparent manner.

‘Since the inspection in March 2019, a new management team has been put in to place & significant progress has been made. We will continue to make further improvements & will monitor the progress, to ensure that it is maintained.’