Failure to comply notices issued to Four Seasons’ Belfast home

Four Seasons’ Hawthorn House in Belfast has been issued with two failure to comply notices by the regulator following an unannounced inspection this month.

The home was told to address issues relating to staffing arrangement and medicines management by August 22.

The RQIA said staffing arrangements at the home “were not appropriate to meet the needs of patients” and expressed concerns in relation to the care of people with diabetes and requiring oxygen therapy.

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Staff on duty reported feeling under significant pressure especially on days when one nurse was on duty with the support of a Care Home Assistant Practitioner (CHAP).

The RQIA said there was limited evidence of the formal assessment and appraisal of staff and concerns were not effectively addressed by the home’s manager.

Delays were also identified in the administration of insulin to diabetic patients with records not completed accurately and kept up to date.

The regulator also noted issues with the management of a patient’s oxygen therapy.

A Four Seasons spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities as a care provider very seriously and regret that the RQIA found aspects of care that we needed to improve. A new registered manager is now in post and we have enhanced the clinical support into the home through our quality and governance teams.

“We have put in place an improvement plan which will address the areas of concern identified including a review of the medication management and other care documentation together with close management oversight to ensure that our procedures are correctly followed and records are complete, contain comprehensive information and are up to date. We have reviewed the number and skills mix of staff and how they are deployed on each shift to ensure that they are appropriate to meet residents’ needs.”