Reading care home warned by watchdog

A PRIVATE care home was put on formal warning this week amid “urgent” concerns that vulnerable residents are not getting enough to eat and drink and some staff are not qualified to look after them.

Watchdogs from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who swooped unannounced in June on Orchard Lodge Care Home in Baskerville Road, Sonning Common, found it was missing nine of 17 essential quality and safety targets highlighted during an earlier routine inspection.

The care home caters for up to 11 patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia but the CQC, the independent regulator of health and social care in England, is worried that they could be at risk because there was no system in place to ensure enough qualified and experienced staff were on duty at all times. Some staff also admitted taking on jobs they did not always feel competent to do.

The CQC, which spoke to residents and staff, also had specific concerns that vulnerable residents “are not receiving adequate nutrition and hydration”, and that people prone to falls are not being protected.

Basic care plans are often out of date or incomplete, the CQC says, and appropriate care for people with diabetes and pressure ulcers is also not being provided.

The care home did pass 52% of the assessment criteria in the review, but owner Nageeb Aubdool [corr] now has 21 days to make the improvements.

Failure to do so by the deadline will lead to a restriction, suspension or cancellation of the care home’s services. The owners could also be fined, cautioned or even prosecuted by the CQC.

Mr Audbool, who with wife Nazmah has owned Orchard Lodge since 2009, was unavailable for comment yesterday (Wednesday) and a woman who answered the phone at Orchard Lodge said: “He’s got too much on his plate after the review.”

In 2004 the Audbools owned Willowbank Residential Home in Manchester when it was awarded two stars out of a maximum four by CQC inspectors.

Roxy Boyce, [corr] regional director of Care Quality Commission in the South East, said: “This warning notice sends a clear and public message that Mr Aubdool needs to address these issues as a matter of urgency or face serious consequences. Our inspectors will return to Orchard Lodge in the near future and if we find that the provider is not making the required progress we won’t hesitate to use our legal powers on behalf of the people who live there.”