Filthy conditions and lack of care uncovered in Welsh care homes (original) (raw)
Inspectors have uncovered serious problems at Welsh care homes including filthy conditions and severely stretched staffing. Care Inspectorate Wales has provided us with a series of damning notices that it has sent nursing homes in recent months.
The notices, which we obtained through a Freedom of Information request, are from 'priority action reports'. The watchdog issues these when immediate action needs to be taken because a care home is failing to comply with regulations.
The reports we have seen highlight residents being put at risk and enduring awful conditions, ranging from foul-smelling mattresses to "poor and unsafe" care. WalesOnline has approached all the care homes for comment. If yours would like to add a response to this article, please email conor.gogarty@walesonline.co.uk
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Hollins Wood nursing home in The Hollins, Neath
Hollins Wood nursing home, run by Cherish Care Homes (Wales) Ltd, was inspected in October. The inspector said the inner layer and foam material of "many mattresses" at the care home were "heavily stained with bodily fluids" and "malodorous".
They added that furnishings were "visibly dirty" including a hoist which had "multiple brown smears" and a stand aid with "dirty black marks". One room had "drip stains" down the wall. There were two bottles of urine lying on the floor in a communal toilet. And a tub containing stained commode pot lids had been left on the floor in a communal bathroom. There was also "damage to various furnishings that could cause injury".
The Care Inspectorate Wales officer said there was minimal evidence of routine skin checks on people with high risk of skin breakdown. When it came to nutrition, the inspector said "on one occasion all that was noted for one person was 200ml of fluid all day and a few biscuits".
They added that there were "often" shortfalls in staff as agency workers were only used as a "last resort". At the time of the inspection "there were only two nurses left in the service to cover seven days and seven nights, which is not manageable or sustainable". Staff spoke about feeling "increased pressure" and said many colleagues had already left "as they did not feel secure there".
"We were in the service for two days and the only activity we saw was a care worker blowing bubbles as a one-to-one activity," the officer wrote. "The individual was looking down and not engaged at the time of the observation... One relative told us there are limited activities that just aren't suitable for their relative at all."
Hollins Wood nursing home in Neath (Image: Google)
St Marks Court nursing home in Park Terrace, Swansea
St Marks Court nursing home, run by Parkcare Homes Ltd, was inspected in September. The inspector said a drain in one bathroom was "filthy". And in one shower room, water was not draining and was spreading out of the door. This was not reported even though all staff were aware. The officer added: "Vent broken in the water room, smell of mould, rotting wood, floor lifting at entry point, no light, trip hazard"
They noted that "several" rooms were in need of a deep clean. The care home was reliant on agency staff which meant the care provided was "inconsistent". The "insufficient" staffing in the kitchen resulted in care staff making breakfast, such as Weetabix, which took them away from caring for people.
The fire escape was described by the inspector as "hindered by vegetation, thick moss and overgrown plants making the fire escape dangerous in the event of a fire". They said that failure to address the care home's issues would pose "a serious risk to the health and safety of people".
A spokesperson for the home told WalesOnline: “Following this inspection in September 2023, we took immediate action to address the concerns raised and put a comprehensive action plan in place. Over the last five months, we have reduced our use of agency staff, and recruited a permanent home manager and deputy manager. Nothing is more important to us than the safety and wellbeing of our residents, and all equipment at site has been checked and PAT-tested, with fire safety concerns addressed immediately and improvements made to our manual-handling training for staff. We have a robust cleaning and maintenance schedule in place, and have made progress on the menus we offer and the meal-time experience for the residents in our care.”
St Marks Court care home in Swansea (Image: Google)
Ty Ceirios nursing home in Pentrepiod Road, Pontypool
Ty Ceirios nursing home, run by A1 Care Services Ltd, was inspected in October. The inspector believed people were at risk of "poor and unsafe care and support". Some staff were unable to properly access care plans. The officer also found a record documenting that a resident was "agitated and wandering” with, bizarrely, a smiley face next to that note.
One nurse was on duty for 40 people living at the home. There were no behaviour support plans for people despite there being "incidents of aggression". The inspector wrote: "We observed no clear process at mealtimes to ensure the correct people had the right dietary texture of food."
The officer added: "Individuals are at risk from poor and unsafe care and support because there are insufficient systems to protect them." They concluded that residents "do not have a voice" as they and their loved ones were not involved in drawing up personal plans. Despite instructions from the previous inspection there had been "no improvements" to care planning systems.
Mayfield care home in Llanthewy Road, Newport
Mayfield care home, run by The Fields Nursing Home Ltd, was visited in November. The inspector said the home had failed to carry out the required recruitment checks. It employed 20 staff who should have been registered with Social Care Wales but were not.
The officer said medicines were not always stored and administered safely, adding: "We also found that no temperature checks were carried out where the medication is stored." There were also concerns over some staff's employment histories not being properly recorded. When a person had previously worked in care, the reasons why they left were not verified.
Rhiwlas nursing home in Northop Road, Flint
Rhiwlas nursing home, run by Lovett Care Ltd, was inspected in September. The officer raised concerns over weight loss in two residents. They wrote that "staff members have told us they have not read care plans and find out what is going on by speaking to the residents".
Relatives of residents told the inspector that they feel staffing is the biggest factor as to why "their loved ones needs are not always met". The report concluded: "People cannot be assured they will receive the care and support in line with their personal plans in a timely way. This can have a negative impact on people's overall physical and emotional wellbeing."
A spokeswoman for the care home said: "As an organisation we pride ourselves on delivering high quality care and acknowledge that there were areas for improvement in the home six months ago when CIW (Care Inspectorate Wales) issued the notice. We are confident that this was administrative recording errors and internal audits now show that Rhiwlas is fully compliant. We would like to offer our reassurance that the residents living at Rhiwlas in Flint have always received safe, appropriate and person-centred care, recognised by the reviews from both residents and their relatives and this will always be our priority."
Aston Hall Care in Lower Aston Hall Lane, Hawarden, Deeside
Aston Hall Care Ltd was inspected in October. The officer said care plans were "not clear how best to support people with specific needs, including mental health, diabetes and dementia". For example the diabetes care plans were unclear on how to reduce risks and on the symptoms to look for. Residents were "at risk of not receiving the correct treatment".
The report continued: "The outcomes for people are not person-centred, they are staff- and task-focussed.... This means people may not receive care and support in line with their views, wishes and aspirations."
Registered manager Claire Bullock told WalesOnline: "Aston Hall recognise that improvements need to be made to some aspects of our service provision. We are working with external social care compliance consultants to make the required improvements and we are being supported by Flintshire Council in this respect. We began this process immediately following the CIW inspection of the service in and have made significant progress. We assure everyone using our service that their wellbeing remains our top priority and we look forward to the CIW reassessing our service shortly when we are confident that our service will be rated as good. In the meantime we assure all of the people who use our service that our service is safe and meets their unique needs. We have recently asked the people who use our service and their families to complete a survey. We are pleased that 100% of people feel safe at Aston Hall and that Aston Hall meets their needs."
If you would like to share concerns over a loved one's experience at a care home, or your own experience, email us at conor.gogarty@walesonline.co.uk