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Wirral care home with bathrooms 'heavily soiled with faeces and urine' slammed in report

The care home was in breach of legal regulations

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An elderly person's hands(Image: PA)

A Merseyside care home has been rated "inadequate" again by the health care watchdog. Among other failings, the inspection into the home found bathrooms "heavily soiled with faeces and urine". The Woodlands in Meols, Wirral, is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 16 older people and those living with sensory impairments.

The home has been rated "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after being found to be in breach of four legal regulations. The inspection, which took place between March 3 and April 8, was undertaken due to concerns the commission raised in a previous inspection of the care home.

In the most recent assessment, the home was found to be in breach of legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, good governance, person-centred care, and dignity and respect.

The report states: "People were exposed to harm because the provider did not ensure a safe, clean or well-maintained environment." It is also said: "Infection prevention and control was poor, environmental hazards were not addressed, and medicines were not always managed safely."

The service remains in special measures which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people safe and it will be monitored to check sufficient improvements have been made. CQC has also begun the process of taking regulatory action to address the concerns, which The Woodlands Care Home TWCH LLP has the right to appeal.

Andrew Peck, CQC deputy director of operations, north-west adult social care, said: "When we inspected The Woodlands, it was concerning to see no improvement had been made since we last visited. Leaders still werent managing the service well and we continued to see people being placed at risk of poor care in a place they call home.

It was particularly concerning that people had repeated injuries and falls, with little follow-up or communication to their relatives and authorities to explain what had happened and how they were being supported to prevent further harm. Records for one person showed repeated falls over time, including falls resulting in fractures. A safeguarding referral was only made after intervention by the local authority following concerns made to them.

Leaders failed to ensure people were being kept safe. We saw several environmental hazards throughout the home, including a broken radiator with an exposed wire, flooring trip hazards, broken furniture and drawers, loose plug sockets and visible nails which could all place people at risk of an injury.

"We also found widespread concerns with cleanliness and infection prevention throughout the home. Communal bathrooms and equipment were heavily soiled with faeces and urine, pressure cushions were visibly dirty and furniture was stained and contained food debris.

What was clear was how positive people and their relatives spoke about staff at the home. They all said they were very kind and worked hard but were often let down by a lack of support from leaders.

We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, and continued improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time. We have begun the process of taking regulatory action in order to protect people further.

The home was contacted numerous times and given the opportunity to respond to the report's findings.

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