Asher Nursing Home in Hove rated inadequate by CQC

Asher Nursing Home, in Hove, has been rated inadequate and placed in special measures following the visit from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October.

The inspection was prompted after the CQC received concerns about a lack of reporting and investigating of potential safeguarding concerns. There were also concerns about staffing levels, nutrition and hydration and lack of activities at the home for people with long-standing, complex mental health needs.

Inspectors found some rooms were “significantly unhygienic” with rotting food items and fruit flies.

They said there was a “significant” risk of fire at the service because people smoked in their rooms and were prescribed emollient cream, which is flammable.

People's beds did not always have sheets on them, meaning mattresses were getting soiled and residents were not being supported to engage in activities which were meaningful to them.

There were also allegations of abuse.

Inspectors said some people living at the home, in Wilbury Gardens, looked “unkempt”, some people had not been supported with personal care in line with their care plans and the general appearance of people “did not promote their dignity”.

“We observed people wearing soiled clothing throughout our visit. Whilst staff told us that this was people's choice, it was not clear from documentation what robust measures were in place to minimise this,” the report said.

“This was not a nice environment for people to sleep or relax in and did not show respect for people's dignity.”

The report said medicines were not consistently managed safely and one person was routinely missing their medicine due to being intoxicated.

Residents told inspectors they were bored, with one person saying: "There's never much going on. We don't go out."

During the visit, inspectors noted two areas of the home were “actively leaking” due to heavy rainfall and a water-damaged ceiling on the top floor.

The service is now in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by the CQC and will be monitored to check sufficient improvements have been made.

Neil Cox, CQC deputy director of operations in the south, said: “We were disappointed to find there was a poor culture and no consistency regarding the care provided. Leaders need to prioritise making urgent improvements, particularly regarding people’s safety and how their needs are being met.

“It was very concerning to find that some people who were known to smoke in their rooms were prescribed emollient creams. The risk associated with this hadn’t been assessed. Emollient creams are known to be flammable therefore this placed people at risk of harm.

“People were known to be drinking alcohol at the premises. On one occasion, there had been an incident of alcohol being shared between people which would put their health at significant risk.

“There had also been allegations of abuse raised by staff.

“We’ve reported our findings to the provider, and they know what they must address. We will monitor the service to ensure people are receiving safe care. If sufficient progress hasn’t been made, we will not hesitate to take action to ensure people’s safety and wellbeing.”

A spokesman from Parkview Care Homes, which runs the home, said: "Further to the recent inspection at Asher Nursing Home where the service was rated inadequate by the CQC, the company was incredibly disappointed with the result for the people who live and work at Asher and the concerns raised during the inspection.

"The company has been working closely with the local authority as Asher is a much-needed service within the city as well as working alongside local external professionals in order to improve the standards at Asher.

"The home and company are working hard to put the required paperwork in place by the deadline of January 8 and are confident that at the time of re-inspection, the home rating will be upgraded."