Wallasey care home slapped with two official warnings by health watchdog

A WIRRAL care home has been given two official warnings by health watchdogs – two months after it was first ordered to improve.

Independent regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Victoria House in Church Street, Wallasey, was failing to protect the safety and welfare of residents.

An inspector who visited the care home on May 17 to check on its progress found there were no records to show the needs of six people admitted earlier in the year had been assessed.

One was diagnosed with severe confusion by a psychiatrist but there were no care plans or risk assessments in place to help staff offer the right support.

The second warning followed a finding that medicines were not being safely administered.

Records showed one service user had been given their medication once a day instead of the prescribed two times.

Anne Ford, CQC head of regional compliance for the North West, said: “These standards are not acceptable. The law says that these are the standards that everyone should be able to expect. Providers have a duty to ensure they are compliant.

“This warning sends a clear and public message that Victoria House needs to address this issue as a matter of urgency or face serious consequences.

“Our inspectors will return to Victoria House 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 to protect the people who use this service.”

The care home was warned it had to carry out assessments of needs to protect service users against receiving inappropriate care or treatment.

It was also told to make appropriate arrangements for the recording, handling, using, safe keeping and dispensing of medicines.

An earlier inspection carried out in April had identified concerns in four areas – care and welfare of people who use services, safeguarding people from abuse, management of medicines, and assessing and monitoring service provision.

At the time Victoria House said a new management team had been put in place since the inspection and improvements made.

A spokesman for Victoria House said: “We acknowledge the findings of the inspection of May 17.

“Since then we have worked constructively with social services and made many improvements.

“The staff team here are committed to meeting the needs required and protecting the health and safety of our residents.”