The 'foul-smelling' care home where people went unwashed in dirty clothes

Residents at a foul-smelling care home were not properly washed and were treated in an 'undignified and degrading' manner, a scathing inspection report has found.

Parkhill Nursing Home in Stalybridge, Tameside, has been put in special measures by the Care Quality Commission (QCQ) watchdog and told to make urgent improvements having been rated 'inadequate'.

The facility, on Huddersfield Road in Millbrook, is run by Belmont Parkhill Limited and can support up to 38 people. In May last year it was told it required improvement by regulator the CQC.

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Inspectors re-visited the facility this July due to 'numerous concerns which had been raised about the service, including safeguarding concerns and concerns around staffing and management arrangements'.

The home has now been downgraded further after inspectors found residents were 'not receiving the care and support they needed'. Inspectors said 10 regulations were breached, with the home rated 'inadequate' in all areas.

'People were not always being supported safely', inspectors said. Th high use of agency staff meant there was 'no consistency of care', they added.

Staff, one person said, were 'not really interested' and 'just stand about'. Families raised concerns some areas of the home 'smelt very strongly unpleasant.

"During our site visit we observed people were not washed, their nails and hair were not always clean and clothes were often dirty," the report reads. "People were left in continence aids for long periods of time and personal care before meals times was not always promoted.

"During the assessment, the inspection team observed multiple occasions where people not treated kindly as adults, given choice and were left in undignified and degrading positions including the lack of access to continence support and being placed at risk through unsafe moving and handling.

"We raised a number of safeguarding concerns to the local safeguarding team following our onsite visit. Although some staff spoke kindly to people, this was in contrast to staff who did not interact or show any interest in people. We observed multiple examples of poor staff practice."

The home is 'worn', inspectors said, adding: "The safety of the building was not always maintained placing people at risk." Staff did not maintain accurate records and information about resident's needs, while care plans were not regularly assessed and updated.

'We expect to see rapid and widespread improvements'

Alison Chilton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: "When we inspected Parkhill Nursing Home, we were concerned to find ineffective leadership and a shortage of experienced, permanent staff, having a serious impact on all areas of people's care. Residents also told us that staffing levels and high agency usage made them feel unsafe and that there was no consistency in their care.

"The home smelled unpleasant, in part because staff weren't always able to support people with their personal hygiene as their time was so stretched. Staff also left people in continence aids for a long time and couldn't support them with personal care, or with brushing their teeth for the same reasons.

"Staff didn't always treat people kindly or with compassion. We saw some people who chose to stay in their room or were cared for in bed didn't have the same level of interaction with staff, or access to food, drink, and activities, as other residents.

"We also saw that staff didn't always ask people for consent when providing support, or involve people and their families in decisions about their care. Leaders need to make sure there are enough staff on duty to provide people with person-centred, dignified care.

"People experienced avoidable harm because staff didn't understand their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse, including working with external healthcare professionals. Three people told us that they didn't feel safe living at the home and had concerns that someone was entering their room at night. We raised several safeguarding concerns to the local authority safeguarding team following our inspection.

"We have told Parkhill Nursing Home where we expect to see rapid and widespread improvements and will continue to monitor them closely to keep people safe while this happens. We won't hesitate to use our regulatory powers further if people are not receiving the care they have a right to expect."

Parkhill has not replied to requests for comment.