Unannounced inspection at Wrexham's Stansty House Nursing Home

Care Inspectorate Wales has called for improvements at Stansty House Nursing Home in Wrexham after carrying out an unannounced inspection.

While inspectors were at the home, they came across one resident who was cold and without a blanket and strongly criticised the management of the home in Rhosddu, which is run by the Minster Care Group.

They said: “The impact for people using the service is there is no clear leadership and management to ensure staff follow best care practices.

“People have to wait for long periods for a response to their needs because staff are not employed in sufficient numbers and or deployed effectively, which in effect compromises people’s dignity.

“Concerns about the heating being turned off or down and being dressed inappropriately for the time of year were raised.

“We spoke with one person who was cold to touch and they confirmed they were cold.

“We spoke with staff and we requested a blanket so they could support the person.”

Inspectors said residents were not always able to choose what time they went to bed and some were taken to their rooms as early as 5pm.

They observed a number of people who were unable to get staff’s attention and highlighted one case where a resident’s meal was taken away without them being asked if they had finished.

Inspectors also questioned whether care records had been falsified after a member of staff wrote that they had helped a person to brush their hair, clean their nails and put make-up on, despite evidence to the contrary.

The report said: “We spoke with this person and saw their hair was not brushed, their nails were long and unclean, their top was unclean, and they did not have any make-up on.

“Inaccurate record keeping has an impact on positive outcomes for people and their dignity.

“It also indicates staff are falsifying records, which is a serious matter but this has not been effectively addressed by the manager.

“We observed staff did not recognise individual non-verbal communication cues from people using the service.

“We observed two people in the dining room who were unable to attract staff’s attention and the call bell system was not within their reach.

“We spoke with a person whose shirt was unclean with phlegm, they told us their neck, and shoulders were aching because they had been sat in a wheelchair for a long period (without neck and shoulder support).”

The inspectorate has now made 11 recommendations for improvement to the owners of the home, which has the capacity to care for 76 people across its residential, nursing and dementia care settings.

It said the issuing of the notice was ‘a serious matter’ and failure to comply would lead to enforcement action being taken.

A spokesperson for Stansty House Care Home said: “Following the CIW’s visit in June, immediate action was taken to address all of the shortcomings it identified during its inspection of Stansty House.

“A new manager has been appointed and they have worked closely with our regional management team to improve procedures and communication, and the overall standard of care provided.

“On the day of the visit, there was an unusually high absence rate, which did not give a true reflection of normal staffing levels. We have, however, revamped the staffing structure and employed additional staff to ensure this situation does not re-occur.

“All new and existing team members have undergone rigorous training on new procedures.

“We continue to work closely with the local authority to ensure we are delivering the highest standard of care possible. The CIW has also been informed of the actions we have taken and we look forward to welcoming inspectors back in the near future.”