Wigan care home acts after tragedy

A Wigan care home hit with a coroner's warning following a pensioner's death has been praised for safety improvements - but still needs to do more.
Alexandra CourtAlexandra Court
Alexandra Court

Health watchdogs inspected Alexandra Court in Pemberton earlier this year after 91-year-old Wycliffe Ashton Matthews died from complications relating to a fall in 2017.

Other news: Family prepares to celebrate Dave’s lifeThe unannounced Care Quality Commission visit followed a report from coroner John Pollard who said neglect was a “contributing factor” in the death.

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Last September’s Bolton inquest heard the resident suffered spinal cord injuries falling from a hoist, which in turn led to fatal pneumonia.

After the visit inspectors wrote: “The service had received a coroner’s Regulation 28: Report to prevent future deaths. A person using the service had slipped from a standing hoist on three occasions, the coroner found this had contributed to the person’s death.

“The coroner also found staff were not adequately trained and had failed to keep proper records of the events.

“We found the service had responded effectively to this and addressed the concerns raised about training in moving and handling and record keeping. Further improvements had also been made in relation to communication between the health and social care staff.”

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But the CQC raised additional concerns about medication management.

“We found the service had made improvements in the management of medicines but there remained some risks in relation to the storage of medication for people who were self-medicating,” report reads. “The service addressed this immediately following the inspection and installed lockable cabinets in the bedrooms.

“We also found there were some anomalies and gaps in the records for medication and topical creams. This was a continued breach of HSCA (2008) Regulation 12(2)(g) the proper and safe management of medicines.”

When asked if the service was “responsive”, “caring” and “effective”, the home - run by Cuerden Developments Ltd - was rated as “good” by inspectors.

After breaching two health and social care regulations, staff were ordered to make sure medications were stored and recorded properly.