Cannock care home's staffing and safety criticised

The Heathers Nursing Home, on Gorsemoor Road, Cannock, has been rated as 'requires improvement' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Among a host of failings found by inspectors during a visit on January 4 was care records had not been updated and the home did not have enough staff for its residents' needs.

• Click here to read the full CQC report

The home, which cares for more than 45 residents, has also been rated requires improvement for its safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and level of care, while its leadership was rated inadequate.

A report by inspectors states: "People who received nursing care for skin damage had not had their care records updated.

"We could not always identify the stage of wound care and when the wound had healed this had not been recorded. This meant we could not be sure the records for people specified the correct level of care needed for their wound.

"We saw some people required checks and repositioning at regular intervals to keep them safe. One staff member we spoke with said 'due to the staffing levels and getting side-tracked, we cannot always physically get round'.

"We saw one person who was at risk of entrapment from their bed rails who required a check every two hours. However, we found this person had not received these checks and was found by us to be in a position of risk."

The home, which cares for people who have physical health needs and/or dementia, was also criticised for not routinely asking residents and relatives for their views.

The report added: "At this inspection we found people were not routinely asked their views about the home. One relative said 'I haven't done any surveys or my relative, I think they would have said if they had'.

"Staff told us they felt supported; however they had not received regular supervision."

A spokesperson for the home said: "We were disappointed with the report, which falls below our high standards and have instigated a robust and comprehensive action plan to address the issues raised.

"We are confident that sustainable improvements have already been made and will continue to work closely with the CQC going forward."