Residents were at risk in Wigan care home

Alma Green Residential Care Home, in Up Holland, has been slammed by Care Quality Commission auditors after a recent inspection uncovered numerous risks to patients’ safety.

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The Alma Hill home, which currently looks after 23 people with personal care needs, was found to have breached two health and social care regulations and the home was found to “require improvements”.

Inspectors wrote: “We noted cold storage of food was insufficient, as some food stuffs was not dated on opening, the storage of raw meat was inappropriate and a bowl of warm porridge, dated 8 April 2018 was being stored in the fridge.

“The cook told us the wrong date had been applied. This put people at risk of eating contaminated food. The home environment was in need of a thorough clean throughout.

“Personal items, some moving and handling equipment, cleaning equipment and many areas of the home were dirty. High level cleaning had clearly not been done for some time, as there was a thick layer of dust on all high surfaces we checked.

“Records we saw showed the environment was cleaned regularly, including deep cleaning of the kitchen and this was confirmed by some staff we spoke with. Therefore, this information was inaccurate.

“The policies and procedures of the home in relation to infection prevention and control were not being followed in day to day practice.”

Additional concerns were raised about the temperature of the home, with reports of residents “dabbing their brows and necks” because of the heat.

The inspectors were told that the heating could not be lowered as it would affect the hot water supply.

The CQC officers also raised concerns about fire safety, noting that advice from a previous fire safety inspection had been ignored.

“Small sitting areas had been created underneath both stairwells, which provided comfortable seating and tables for people to spend some quiet time,” they wrote.

“However, this was a significant fire risk. These areas should be kept clear of items that are a source of fuel, pose an ignition risk or are combustible and likely to increase the fire loading or spread of fire.

“The fire safety inspector had completed an inspection six days prior to our inspection and had identified this area of risk. The manager was aware of the findings. However, they had still not been addressed at the time of our inspection.”

The home did score a “good” rating for being both caring and responsive.