Wolverhampton care home made 'residents wait for food' say inspectors

Ruksar Nursing Home, based on Park Avenue, Wolverhampton, cares for 26 people.

It was visited by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) earlier this year, with the report on their findings published at the start of November.

During the inspection, CQC found that residents at the home were not always given a choice about the meals they could have and had to wait a long time to have them.

The report said: "For example, one person had to wait an hour after other people were served their meals before their meal was served.

"We saw five people waiting for 10 minutes before getting their meals whilst other people were being served their lunches.

"We saw one person become quite agitated at this and started to try to eat another person's food.

"We observed two other people waited for thirty minutes before their lunch was served. People had to wait unacceptable periods of time for meals."

Read the CQC report here

The CQC spoke to residents and discovered that many did not participate in any activities during the day.

The report from the inspectors stated: "One person said, 'I just sit in the chair all day, I can't go out because I haven't got the money'.

"Another person said, 'I go to the mosque, but there are no other activities, I just sit in my chair'. A relative we spoke with said, 'I visit most days and I haven't seen any activities'."

Inspectors also found that some members of staff had started work at the home before checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) were completed.

Inspectors also discovered that a staff member had unsuitable references which raised concerns.

Inspectors said: "People were not always supported by staff who had been recruited safely. The action taken to keep people safe was not always recorded."

The report continued to state that: "The risks to people had not been assessed and managed by the provider to ensure only suitable people were employed to work at the home."

According to inspectors, the service was also 'not always responsive' and 'not consistently well-led'.

In addition, though activities were planned for residents, inspectors found that they were often not carried out as "staff did not have the time to facilitate them." The report said: "People were not always supported to take part in activities that they enjoyed. Systems were not always effective at identifying issues or concerns."

However, the report did state that residents "were supported by a staff team who mostly showed kindness and compassion.

"People were treated with dignity and respect and their privacy was maintained. People were encouraged to maintain their independence."

CQC rated the home as requiring improvement in four out of five key areas.

The home was rated as being 'good' in the caring category.

Registered manager Sushma Kaul said: "We have made a lot of improvements since the last report. There were not problems with the care and that's the main thing. It was just the paperwork.

"We have been working with the local authority who are coming in every two to three months to keep an eye on things too.

"In terms of the wait for food, we have a lot of residents here who are high dependency and take a long time to eat.

"When you have six or seven members of staff to 26 residents, with some residents taking from 30 minutes to 40 minutes to eat, it's going to delay some of the other residents' eating. When CQC come in it's only for a day and you could be having a good or a bad day. We can only do so much, but we do as much as we can.

"We have been working very hard to put systems in place and make sure that staff have all the relevant training they need.

"We have also cleared 80 per cent of the action plan put in place by the CCG.

"It takes quite a lot of work but we will get there."

Councillor Craig Collingswood, of Park ward, said: "I think anyone with relatives who live in a care home want to be assured that they are receiving adequate care.

"Obviously, the CQC has found shortfalls at the home and it is absolutely essential to heed the recommendations and take action immediately to ensure these type of incidents don't happen again."