Hygiene concerns at care home rated 'inadequate'

A care home where inspectors said staff did not always support residents in maintaining their personal hygiene has been placed into special measures.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said its team discovered employees at Iceni House in Swaffham, Norfolk, had left a resident wearing dirty clothes and looking messy.

It also raised concerns over its leadership, and following an inspection in October and November rated the home "inadequate".

Norfolk Care Homes Ltd, which runs the site, has been approached for comment.

The inspection took place shortly after changes to the management structure, with a new management team in post at the time.

The CQC rated the home inadequate under the categories "safe", "effective" and "well-led", and said it required improvement in the "caring" and "responsive" categories.

During inspection, 60 people were at the home - a mix of older people and those living with dementia.

Hazel Roberts, CQC deputy director of adult social care in the East of England, said: "When we inspected Iceni House, we were concerned to find people weren't being kept safe because leaders hadn't given staff the support they needed.

"Some staff said they were afraid to raise concerns because they feared negative consequences. This meant problems weren't being properly reported or dealt with."

She added that a relative told inspectors their family member waited 20 minutes for help to use the toilet - and when staff arrived, they then allegedly told them to use their pad instead. "This was undignified and unacceptable," she said.

"Staff didn't always support people to maintain their personal hygiene. One person told inspectors they often found their family member wearing dirty clothes and looking messy," she continued.

Roberts added that staff did not always keep clear care plans, which led to errors that put residents at risk.

One person with diabetes was not always given food after receiving insulin, she said, despite their care plan recommending this for the type of insulin they had been prescribed.

Another with swallowing difficulties, and at risk of choking, had been given sandwiches on their plan, she said.

Inspectors also found staff did not always speak English in front of residents, which the report concluded may have also affected communication between team members.

Despite this, the inspectors found the new management team had started to implement a process to share learning among employees.

They also observed kind, caring and respectful interaction between staff and service users.

The CQC said it would monitor the home closely to ensure changes were made.

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