Cambridge Care Home Faces Threat Of Action

A CARE home where residents had to eat cold meals and walk through food left on the floor has been threatened with enforcement action.

An unannounced visit by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) found the Cambridge Nursing Centre fell short of 10 statutory requirements.

Inspectors gave the Bupa-run home in Chesterton a rating of one star out of three, classed as “adequate”.

The watchdog has had concerns about the management of drugs at the centre for some time and in its report warned bosses it will take further steps if there is no swift improvement.

On their visit, inspectors found documents relating to residents’ medication were not being kept accurately so the amount left did not match records.

They also found care plans for people with pressure sores showed limited evidence of their wounds being reassessed, while one for a resident who risked becoming malnourished had not been updated with a dietician’s advice to boost her calorie intake.

Bupa says proper care was provided.

Several issues apparently relate to short-staffing at the home, which has 90 places for elderly people and dementia patients and charges £895 a week in fees.

The inspectors recorded food from breakfast was left “all over the floor” and not cleared away, so residents had to walk through it to get to the lounge. Some had towels wrapped around them by carers to catch food spillage, because protectors could not be found.

One woman who needed two members of staff to help her out of bed sometimes had to wait until after 10.30am to get up, when staff had more time.

CSCI noted there had been some improvements since their last visit, with a smell of urine having been removed, and praised staff relationship with residents and the activity programme. Bupa said staffing levels had improved recently.

Tim Seal, regional director for Bupa Care Services, said: “In a recent inspection, CSCI awarded the Cambridge Nursing Centre a one-star, satisfactory rating. CSCI highlighted some areas that require further attention and measures were put in place immediately to address these.

“In the most recent customer satisfaction survey, 84 per cent of residents describe the service they receive as being excellent or very good, showing how highly they value the centre.”

A CSCI spokesman said it would soon revisit the home, and could take bosses to court if it failed to comply, and get a home closed in extreme circumstances.