Poor cleanliness at Dagenham care home leads to infection concerns

An elderly patient was left lying in his own excrement at a care home that has been flagged for its poor cleanliness and infection control.

Dawn Stiles’ father stayed at Chestnut Court in Dagenham briefly last year before he died.

“The floor he was on was kept clean but I did walk in once and he was covered in faeces. This was quickly sorted. The staff do try their best, but they are few and far between,” she wrote on the Post’s local social networking website Streetlife.co.uk.

A report by the Care Quality Commission on Chestnut Court has raised concerns for the health of its elderly residents.During visits on March 1 and 3 inspectors found stained body slings and toilet booster seats.

There were used hygiene pads and a dirty bedpan sitting in the sluice room where they should have been disposed of.

The inspector also found used plates and cups and leftover food were left for several hours after breakfast.

The care home in Frizlands Lane, Dagenham, which provides accommodation and care for up to 62 older people, was said to have suffered a number of outbreaks of diarrhoea and vomiting recently.

The report, published on March 29, said: “The home did not have an effective system in place to ensure good housekeeping and the prevention of outbreaks of infection.

“When we spoke to staff they told us they had been too busy looking after people to tidy up after breakfast.”

Criticism was also made of the lack of activities arranged for the residents.

It said: “The home did not have a regular programme of activities or a system that ensured people had time for one-to-one interactions with staff.”

Chestnut Court’s website says an activities co-ordinator “ensures that there is always something of interest going on”.

However the manager informed the inspector that the last activities co-ordinator had moved into an administrative role and there were no plans to fill the role.

The report concluded: “Care and treatment was not planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people’s safety and welfare.”

The Care Quality Commission asked the care home to send a report by April 11 setting out what action would be taken to improve their standards.

Acer Healthcare, which owns Chestnut Court, was unavailable for comment.