"I dismissed the manager" - boss of Lancashire care home rated Inadequate speaks out

Elm House in Lime Grove, Skelmersdale, was rated as Inadequate overall in a report issued earlier this month by watchdog, the Care Quality Commisison (CQC).

The inspection, which was carried out over 14 days in October, was carried out because of concerns received by different agencies, and because breaches of regulations were found in an inspection in October 2023. A report states: “At this inspection we found continued breaches of the regulations in governance, and safe care and treatment. The service was no longer in breach of the regulation around staffing and recruitment.”

However, a new breach around consent was found, and there was “a lack of effective governance and management of the service, which had a detrimental impact on some aspects of safe care and treatment.”

Inspetors also found:

- People did not receive safe care in relation to their medicines - descrived as “high level concerns” which the provider was asked to address immediately

- There were gaps in people's care plans and risk assessments. Inspectors found that monitoring of people's health and wellbeing was “adhoc”, meaning there were lost opportunities to identify concerns and make improvements.

- There was a lack of effective processes around incident monitoring and safeguarding procedures, which was identified at the previous inspection in 2023.

Positives

Some positives were also noted. Inspectors said: “Improvements had been made in staff training and induction, and recruitment processes. The home was kept clean and well maintained. There were effective processes to make sure equipment was in good working order, and health and safety checks were made regularly. Staff were committed to their roles and enjoyed their jobs. We observed staff being kind and caring towards people.”

Feedback from residents and their families was said to be “very positive”.

Management

Ryan Bell, the Nominated Individual for the home, said: “As a provider it became apparent that standards had sadly dropped due to mismanagement. In September I made the decision to dismiss this manager. I have since recruited an experienced manager and assistant manager who are fully committed in rectifying concerns raised by the Regulatory body, CQC .

“We have assured all residents, their friends and families that an action plan has been implemented, working alongside local authority. We are endeavouring to make Elm House a home that families will be confident of placing loved ones in knowing that we continue to offer exceptional care.”

The home is in Special Measures.