Care home boss fined after inspectors found dirty kitchen and mouse droppings

A CARE home boss has been fined £14k over a catalogue of hygiene offences '“ including mouse droppings being found where food was stored.
Photo Neil Cross
Catterall House Residential Home is being placed in special measuresPhoto Neil Cross
Catterall House Residential Home is being placed in special measures
Photo Neil Cross Catterall House Residential Home is being placed in special measures

Former GP Ramesh Kumar Gulati, 74, admitted a string of hygiene breaches at Catterall House residential care home in Catterall, near Garstang.

He was fined a total of £14,000 and ordered to pay court costs of £2,285 and a £130 victims’ surcharge when he appeared before Blackpool Magistrates Court.

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The court dropped proceedings against his wife, GP Varsha Gulati who had faced the same thirteen charges.

A picture from Wyre Council showing the hygiene in catterall House, near Preston.A picture from Wyre Council showing the hygiene in catterall House, near Preston.
A picture from Wyre Council showing the hygiene in catterall House, near Preston.

Prosecuting for Wyre Borough Council, Anita Elliot said the Catterall House was being investigated by the Care quality Commission which oversees standards in nursing and rest homes. At one stage earlier this year the commission had placed 24-bed Catterall House in special measures.

The hygiene offences were revealed after an inspection by council environmental officers.

It showed that equipment such as the microwave, fridge and wash bowls were dirty.

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An outlet pipe from the kitchen leaked and there was a pool of foul water in the back yard containing waste food.

A picture from Wyre Council of the hygiene in Catterall House, near Preston.A picture from Wyre Council of the hygiene in Catterall House, near Preston.
A picture from Wyre Council of the hygiene in Catterall House, near Preston.

In the kitchen was a risk of cross contamination of foods and there was no trained chef on duty every day.

Mouse dropping were found in a food storage area.

The prosecutor said: “People living at the home were elderly and vulnerable. However no one was taken ill.”

Defence lawyer Rachel Adamson said that Gulati had taken “his eye off the ball”.

“Standards slipped under a manager of the home who was trying to find new work

“My client accepts he should have done more and is now doing everything that is asked of him by the authorities.”

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