Bramley care home ordered to improve after inspection (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Bramley care home ordered to improve after inspection

1:10pm Monday 1st October 2012 in Local By Emily Roberts, Chief Reporter

A CARE home has been ordered to improve after failing four out of five areas of an inspection.

Applewood Care Home in Coopers Lane, Bramley, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission on May 23.

In their report, inspectors said records kept by the home, which offers care for up to 39 people, some of whom have dementia, showed that one resident had gone without food for a whole day, another had been left without help for more than 15 hours, and there was a “strong unpleasant odour” in parts of the building.

It said that residents experienced “poor care” in some of the areas, and this could have a “significant effect on their health, safety or welfare”. The home did well in the area of “respecting people and involving them in care”.

The home, run by Milkwood Care, was last inspected in September 2011, when it was asked to improve recording of care plans.

But when inspectors returned, they found this was still not up to standard. The report said: “The registered person was failing to take proper steps to ensure that people were protected from the risk of inappropriate or unsafe care.”

The report also said the home failed to maintain appropriate hygiene, and there was an “unpleasant odour” in parts of the home.

It added: “We spoke to members of the cleaning staff who were not aware that any member of staff was responsible for infection control.”

The report also said that staff had not had a meeting since December 2011.

Janet Lloyd Leech, director of Milkwood Care, said she had previously raised concerns about inaccuracies within the draft report.

She added: “The home has already rectified all the areas in which the inspector judged the home to be non-compliant, and we have requested a further inspection, which should be carried out before December 2012.”

She believes the home offers “excellent service” to its residents, adding: “The dedicated and highly trained staff work hard to provide the best care possible.”