Oldham care home criticised in report for putting residents 'at risk'

The report by the health watchdog, published on May 4, said Treelands Care Home on Westerhill Road overall requires improvement – though it gave the care home ‘good’ ratings for being caring and responsive.

The home was criticised, however, for not always being safe, effective, or well-led.

The report noted that controlled drugs were being improperly stored, and some safety procedures were not being properly followed – such as the use of thickener powder in drinks not being properly recorded when residents were at risk of choking or aspiration.

However, the report did note that there was no evidence anyone had been harmed as a result of these failures – just that they were being placed at risk.

The report was based on unannounced visits by inspectors to the care home on March 25 and March 28.

It went on to say that food and fluid charts were not always reflective of what people had consumed and that auditing of medicines had not always been completed consistently.

The regulatory report was carried out by a medicines inspector, and an ‘Expert by Experience’ – someone with personal experience of either using a care home or caring for someone in care homes.

Staff at the care home pointed out that a permanent manager had not yet been appointed, with confusion over which duties had been assigned to the acting manager – going on to say they didn’t always feel listened to.

One staff member quoted in the report said: “It’s a bit confusing who does what and who is in charge. Be good when new manager starts.”

However, residents and relatives of residents did not have concerns about safety – with comments including: “I feel safe here because of the people around me… the staff listen and encourage me.”

The report went on to criticise management, saying: “Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.”

Treelands Care Home has been contacted for comment.