A resident living at a Ryde care home — which has been shut down after the Isle of Wight Council moved residents out — lost one-and-a-half stone in six weeks.
Seventeen elderly people were moved out of Cornelia Heights Care Home in April, after concerns were raised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Extent of failings revealed
The CQC’s report has now been published, revealing the extent of the failings at the home, run by Sanjay Prakashsingh Ramdany and Sandhya Kumari Ramdany.
They took the decision to close the home after the residents were moved out.
Ryde care home remains open
A second care home run by the couple — Waxham House, also in Ryde — remains open.
The care home was registered to care for up to 23 people living with physical frailty or dementia.
Doctor’s recommendations not followed
When inspectors asked why one resident had lost so much weight, no explanation was given. A doctor had recommended the resident be weighed every two weeks, but it had not happened for more than a month.
Residents were at risk of developing pressure sores, and one person was not moved for more than 11 hours and 45 minutes — despite the official recommendation being that bed-bound patients are moved every four hours.
Staff say home was ‘chaotic’
Staff described organisation at the home as ‘chaos’ as they regularly worked 14-hour shifts due to chronic under staffing, or were asked to come in on their days off to cover absences.
One said:
“I have had phone calls at four in the morning asking me to come in. There is not enough staff at night, and too many people need help.”
Owners sorry for ‘sad end’
A spokesperson for the couple said they were sorry for the ‘sad end’ to Cornelia Heights, but thanked hard-working staff for their efforts.
The spokesperson said:
“The decision by the Isle of Wight Council to terminate its contract on 10th April left us with a difficult decision which resulted in us sadly deciding to close the facility.
“Since then we have worked with the local authority to move our residents into alternative accommodation.
“This was done with respect, care and in full collaboration with our residents and their relatives to ensure that the process takes place in a safe manner.”
Managers accused of ‘passing the buck’
Staff members said there was a blame culture at the home, with managers ‘passing the buck’.
On the first day of the visit, inspectors raised concerns about a resident at risk of constipation, and asked the home to contact a GP. Yet this was not done for a further two days — and only at the inspectors’ insistence.
In another incident, a resident had fallen and fractured their wrist. There were no records to confirm that an apology had been made to the person.
Records of the number of falls that took place at the home were inaccurate, with the home under-reporting to the Clinical Commissioning Group.
High risk of infection
The risk of infection at the home was also not managed. Inspectors noted the evacuation chair was badly stained with a brown substance, and a stairlift and arm chair had a torn seat with the foam exposed. Soiled laundry was piled next to tea towels and flannels, putting it at risk of cross contamination.
Medicines were not always ordered and prescribed correctly and one resident was left without mood medication for six days. In some cases, medicinal creams were used six months beyond their safe shelf life.
Residents put at risk
For nine residents, allergy information was absent or contradictory, putting people at risk of receiving medicines to which they were allergic.
The last residents were moved from the home on May 8, one month after the inspection took place. Full details can be found on the CQC Website.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may be been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: khrawlings under CC BY 2.0
