Secret film exposes care home failures

 

It has taken the BBC and its Panorama Team of investigators to finally address serious failings at not one but two Care Homes in Cornwall run by the same Provider.

Concerns of serious safeguarding failings and issues are highlighted in a report to be aired on Monday, 21^st November 2016.  The same concerns and failings which had previously been raised by Service Users and their families but repeatedly ignored by the CQC and Cornwall Council.

 

Cornwall Council, having been caught 

in their own failings to safeguard the Service Users issued an apology saying it was "sorry that the standard of care provided by Morleigh Group has fallen far short of what residents, their relatives and the general public have a right to expect".

It added that it was now investigating two more Morleigh Group homes.

Andrea Sutcliffe, the CQC's chief inspector of adult social care, said: "We were appalled to have found that the Morleigh Group has allowed the quality of care to decline."

But why is Andrea Sutcliffe “appalled”?  Andrea Sutcliffe and her inspectors knew that this Provider was failing and safeguarding was an issue, yet they (the CQC) failed to address the concerns of the complaints raised by the families and service users.

So, what are the Safeguarding issues raised?

Within this shocking report we will learn that the failings and safeguarding are:

A nurse saying, she will give morphine to a resident "to shut her up"

An overpowering odour of urine.

Under Staffing

The home claims its staff are qualified to look after people with mild dementia, whilst having a resident with severe dementia - despite having had no specialist training.

A bed with a loose guard rail, which fails to meet the health and safety guidelines of equipment being suitable for the purpose they are intended.

An out-of-date prescription supplement being re-labelled and issued to a patient for whom it had not been originally prescribed.

All these failings have been reviewed by an independent professional expert who describe this neglect as "horrifying".

I take this opportunity to remind Andrea Sutcliffe, the Council and "Professionals" of one simplistic fact

YOU are the Service User of Tomorrow, would you live in these conditions and if not why expect our service users of today to live like second rate citizens?