The council share this latest news. Ed
Residents of a privately-run care home on the Island have been rehoused by the council after serious failings were identified by regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
New care placements for the 22 residents of Fairview House in Clatterford Road in Newport have been found by council staff who worked over last weekend and this week to support and help them and their families.
Previously rated as good
The home was recently taken over by Oakray Care (Fairview) Limited in August this year and caters for older people with conditions such as dementia.
It was rated as good by the care regulator in June this year.
Banned from taking on new residents
A CQC inspection on 30 November identified a range of serious problems at the home which were putting residents at risk of harm, including unsatisfactory administration of medicine and unclean conditions.
The care regulator has since banned the home from admitting any new residents and has issued a notice of potential closure, which the operators can appeal.
Rapid decline in standards
Carol Tozer, director of adult social services at the council, said,
“During this distressing time in finding alternative care placements, the safety and wellbeing of the frail and elderly residents of Fairview House was our top priority.
“This has been a fast-moving situation and a rapid decline in standards at this home but experienced council staff were immediately based at Fairview House to provide round the clock care and support to residents and their families, while new placements were found.
“We continued to work with the residents, their families, the Care Quality Commission and alternative care homes to find suitable accommodation as soon as was possible.
“Importantly, as residents were found new accommodation, our staff and NHS colleagues were in the home this week to ensure their needs were being met and that all procedures were being followed correctly by staff.
“We understand how distressing this situation must be for residents and their families and we have done all we can to move residents out of this home as smoothly and as sensitively as possible. The urgency to move residents meant that we did have to hand deliver letters on Friday night and Saturday morning to relatives’ home addresses notifying them of the situation.
“All residents have now moved out of Fairview and we will be checking up on their welfare very regularly over these next few weeks.”
No progress since action plan
The council has been involved with the home for the last few weeks with frequent visits to look at issues and to relay further concerns to the CQC who identified problems during inspections on the 2 and 6 November.
The home had responded with an action plan in early November to improve care, but the repeat inspection by CQC on 30 November revealed the absence of any progress.
