Buxton care home in special measures after inspectors find residents at risk of malnutrition

A Buxton care home has been placed in special measures after a scathing inspection report which found residents at risk of malnutrition and unexplained injuries.
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The Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited the Branksome, on St John’s Road, in October and has now published the report which describes the home as inadequate on three out of five key criteria – safety, leadership and effectiveness – and requiring improvement to its care and responsiveness.

While the inspectors note that residents they spoke to “were happy and told us they enjoyed living in the home” and that staff were “considerate … and caring” the report details serious concerns about the way the home was run, with “widespread and significant shortfalls in people's care, support and outcomes.”

The inspectors said: “We found people had sustained multiple unexplained injuries which had not been reported to the manager so necessary actions had not been taken to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

The CQC has found serious failings at the Branksome care home on St John's Road. (Image: Google)The CQC has found serious failings at the Branksome care home on St John's Road. (Image: Google)
The CQC has found serious failings at the Branksome care home on St John's Road. (Image: Google)

“Risks to people had not been identified, monitored or reduced. At this inspection we found people were at risk of pressure sores, choking, dehydration and infection.”

They added: “People were at risk of malnutrition. Records were not consistently maintained, there were unexplained gaps on food records which meant it was not clear if people had eaten anything.”

Inspectors also noted issues with medication management, staff recruitment, oral health assessments, the use of equipment such as pressure-relieving mattresses, cleaning records and infection control.

Residents’ relatives raised concerns to the inspectors over staffing levels, information sharing, care planning, leisure activities, and the way feedback went unaddressed.

Special measures status means the CQC will keep the service under review. It may now propose to cancel the provider's registration, or otherwise will reinspect the home within six months to check for significant improvements. Inspectors have raised safeguarding referrals for investigation by Derbyshire County Council.

A spokesperson for the home’s parent company Four Seasons said: “Our hard working teams strive each day to protect everyone in our homes while continuing to manage the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. We deeply regret that the inspector felt the Branksome had fallen below the standards that the CQC requires.

“Since the inspection in October, we have implemented a comprehensive action plan to address the areas noted in the report.”

To read the report in full, go to https://bit.ly/33m52Bs.

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