Luton nursing homes told to improve by Care Quality Commission after inspections

A care home in Luton has been told to improve after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected its services.

CQC report deemed Alicia Nursing Home and Atwell House, both of which are run by Apex Care Homes Limited, as “requiring improvement” after inspectors attended the services on Marsh Road.

A spokesperson for Alicia Nursing Home said: “We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality of care to our residents and are shocked and extremely disappointed with the rating given as this does not reflect the satisfaction expressed by our residents and their families.

“Inspections are always welcomed as they help us to identify areas for improvement and we indeed immediately rectified issues identified by CQC during their inspection.”

Alicia Nursing Home currently cares for 34 older people, and those living with dementia, while further along the road at Atwell House, six people with learning disabilities and autism are looked after. The services were found to not always be safe, according to the report published this month.

The report stated: "In Atwell House, none of the windows on the first floor of the building, including people's bedrooms, had suitable window restrictors fitted. The height of the windows posed a risk of someone accidently falling from them as they could be opened wide enough for a person to easily climb up and out.

"The service supported people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions, and the provider had not identified the current measures in place to protect people were unsuitable as windows may pose a risk to people who could climb out and fall.

"This meant the premises were not fully safe and secure for people to be living in."

But inspectors said that the homes acted immediately to address their concerns, by fitting suitable window restrictors.

The home’s spokesperson added: “Since then, we have assured the CQC of changes we have made to ensure our residents continue to remain safe and well looked after, and this is acknowledged in their report, which is why this rating has come as such a surprise to us. In fact, the report states that people were ‘protected from risk of harm and abuse’, and one commented: “I feel safe here, the people are kind, and the meals are good”.

“We would like to assure our residents, families and CQC that we will continue to do our best to provide the best care possible learning from any issues identified.”

Medicines were found to not always be safely managed, as “some medicines did not have opening dates recorded and staff were unclear in relation to expiry dates of medicine once opened”.

Inspectors found positives during their time assessing the homes. They said: "People were treated with kindness and respect. One person said, "I am happy here, they all work really hard. I feel safe here, they are kind to me." Another person said, "They really look after me."

The leadership at the services were described as requiring improvement. The report said: "Governance processes were not always effective at ensuring the quality and safety of the service. They did not identify the concerns found during the inspection.”