Barchester care home rated ‘inadequate’ following ‘significant deterioration in quality’

Barchester Healthcare’s Vecta House in Newport in the Isle of Wight has been rated ‘inadequate’ by the CQC.

The home was rated ‘requires improvement’ following an inspection in April 2017 which identified three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act in relation to safe care and treatment, good governance and safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment. It was given an inadequate rating following an inspection in May that found a further five breaches of the Health and Social Care Act.

The CQC said there had been a “significant deterioration in the quality and safety of the service”.

Story continues below

Advertisement

Inspectors found some residents who had been assessed as requiring food in pureed lumps were being administered tablets and capsules putting them at risk of choking.

Emergency evacuation procedures were also found to be flawed. During an unplanned fire alarm inspectors observed a person sitting in a chair so that an automatic fire door could not close, while a table was blocking the closure of a fire door in another part of the home.

A Barchester spokesperson said: “We take the findings of the Care Quality Commission very seriously and we have been working to address the points that were identified in the report. Following the inspection six months ago, we have implemented a robust action plan and put systems in place to take the home forward. This includes the recruitment of a new General Manager and Deputy Manager, as well as fully recruiting to all other positions in the home.

“We are supporting and developing our staff to ensure continued improvements are made and have had regular input from our specialist teams from across Barchester Healthcare. The home has undergone a full refurbishment and we are pleased that we are now in the position to admit new privately funded residents. The wellbeing of our residents is of the utmost importance to us and our absolute focus is to continue to deliver a high quality of care.”

To read the report click here.