Preston care home allowed staff with COVID-19 to continue working, reveal inspectors

The shocking findings have been revealed in a new report published by the Care Quality Commission, the Government department responsible for regulating and inspecting England's health and social care services.

Inspectors say they arrived unannounced at Aadamson House Care Home in Peel Hall Street on October 6 after concerns were reported in relation to the management of Covid-19.

The care home run by Mr Salim Adam, which began operating in July 2019, is now subject to "special measures" and faces being closed down if it fails to make "significant improvements", said the report.

Inspectors have expressed their disappointment with the running of the care home, which has been deemed "inadequate", after finding the service was "not safe, not effective, not always caring, not always responsive and not well-led".

They discovered that the care home had breached a number of safety requirements relating to the care and treatment of its 13 vulnerable residents.

Alarmingly, their report found that a member of staff had been allowed to continue working despite testing positive for Covid-19, as was another staff member who had reported having symptoms.

The report concluded that residents, staff and visitors were put at "serious risk of transmission of Covid-19 and other infectious disease" due to it breaching the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Inspectors said that during their investigation, the care home's manager resigned and its provider, Mr Adam, was forced to employ a temporary manager.

What did the report say about Covid-19 concerns?

"The provider failed to consistently protect people, staff and visitors from catching and spreading infections including Covid-19", said the inspectors.

"People were exposed to the risk of harm because the provider failed to ensure a staff member who tested positive for Covid-19 isolated.

"They allowed the member of staff to continue working, as well as another member of staff who worked one shift with symptoms of Covid-19."

It said the care home provider also put people at risk of infection due to the following breaches:

- The provider did not ensure people social distanced when in communal areas, including the dining room

- Staff did not consistently wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when supporting people and in the care home environment as per national guidance to prevent the risk of Covid-19 transmission

- Staff had not received training in Covid-19 and some staff had not received training in infection control

What else did the inspectors discover?

As well as putting residents, staff and visitors at risk of Covid-19, inspectors also found that the provider had failed in a number of its duties of care to its vulnerable residents.

Some of the most serious concerns include:

- People's medicines were not always managed in a safe and effective way

- Accidents and incidents were not always adequately investigated

- People's relatives/representatives were not always informed when they were involved in an accident or incident

- Staffing levels were not always sufficient to keep people safe

- Staff recruitment processes were not always safe. The provider failed to ensure staff were checked for good character before they were employed to work with vulnerable adults

- Staff had not received sufficient training and support to enable them to carry out their roles and responsibilities

What has Aadamson House Care Home said in response to the findings?

According to the report, Mr Salim Adam, the care home's provider, has acknowledged that he had failed to understand the requirements that providers need to meet and told inspectors that he is committed to ensuring improvements are made.

Mr Adam did not respond to the Post's request for comment.

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