Patients moved out of 'inadequate' Ansdell nursing home after CQC inspection reveals safety concerns

The Rossendale Nursing Home, in Woodlands Road, Ansdell, was blasted by Alan Wilson in October after Dereck John Chapman died in hospital – where he was recovering from surgery to treat a broken hip suffered in a fall at the facility last January.

He said improvements were needed to prevent future tragedies but an unannounced visit from the health watchdog this year revealed even more concerns, prompting the town council, county council, and local NHS – which all paid to house the frail and elderly there – to rehouse all 18 of them.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which is tasked with making sure our older folk are well looked after, slammed the Rossendale as “inadequate” and said residents there were in danger.

The regulator’s report, released this month after two inspections – one unannounced and one announced – earlier this year, as well as three previous inspections which ordered the home to improve, revealed:

> Medicines out-of-stock, out-of-date, and kept in fridges that were not cold enough;

> Shortfalls around Covid infection prevention and control, including worries over social distancing and shielding and cleanliness;

> A heavy reliance on agency staff, which affected the quality of care;

> Residents were at risk of pressure sores, choking, and falls – with some being hurt after previous incidents – but there was no evidence of staff managing the risk;

> Paperwork was contradictory and confusing, while employee records were not being kept properly; and

> Fire doors didn’t close properly, a hole in the wall in the lounge was mouldy, and a bathroom floor was in a state of disrepair.

Inspectors quizzed eight workers during their visit, which was sparked by a “significant amount of safeguarding concerns”, and carried out observations in communal areas, reviewed records, and looked at staff files.

“Significant high risk safeguarding concerns led to a multi-agency decision to stop commissioning care from the provider,” a statement from Blackpool Council, Lancashire County Council, and the NHS said.

“We don’t take decisions like this lightly. However, the service was not meeting the expected standards of care.

“We worked quickly to ensure residents were resettled in to suitable alternative accommodation as quickly as possible.”

The CQC added: “The provider has repeatedly failed to assess, monitor, and improve the quality of the service. This left people at risk of avoidable harm.”

However, it said inspectors noted “some positive interactions between staff and people who lived at the home”, and added: “Staff spoke positively about their work and the support they received from the registered manager.”

Following the removal of patients at the home, the CQC confirmed it had "taken enforcement action at Rossendale Nursing Home."

Mr Chapman, who had dementia and heart disease, as well as other underlying conditions, was prone to falling, an inquest held at the town hall heard last August.

He was seen to fall in the Rossendale’s dining area at around 10.10pm on January 13 last year, with his head hitting a wheelchair. He was put in bed and, five hours later, found lying face down on the floor beside it. At 8am the next day, he was taken to hospital where a broken hip was diagnosed.

Despite successful surgery, he died in hospital from pneumonia and heart disease on February 3 while recuperating.

Mr Wilson said staff did not take into account Mr Chapman’s dementia, which meant he didn’t understand their questions and was unable to tell them about any symptoms he had following his fall, though he “did determine” their actions “did not contribute to the eventual outcome”.

He also described record keeping at the home as “unimpressive”.

The home responded by saying it had made a number of changes to prevent further deaths.

M & C Taylforth Properties, which runs the home, also runs the Chaseside Care Home in St Georges Square, St Annes, which is rated ‘good’ – below only a rank of ‘outstanding’.

The firm declined to comment about the Rossendale's residents.

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