Staff numbers were too low at Darwen care home

The Care Quality Commission raised concerns about Oldfield House, in Hawkshaw Avenue, following a routine inspection.

It said there were ‘only two care staff’ fully available for the 18 residents on most days, which left them clearly ‘rushing to complete tasks’.

The inspection report said: “During the inspection we noted that the staff call buzzer used by a person in the bathroom was not answered by staff in a timely manner.

“A person using the service told us they had been sitting in a wheelchair for ten minutes before being assisted into the dining room for lunch.

“The manager agreed there were insufficient numbers of staff during the day, at weekends and on some evening shifts.”

However, the home, which charges £435 per week, has now added an extra carer to the rota and the watchdog is satisfied that the required standards are being met.

Stacey Jones, operations manager for Oldfield House, as well as the Oldfield Manor and Thorncliffe homes in Darwen, said: “On the day of the inspection we did have enough staff but the needs of the residents changed and we didn’t respond quickly enough.

“It was a new manger [who spoke to the inspectors] who had come in and was doing a study of the staffing levels at the time.

“We always had between two and three staff on, but between 11.30am and 4.30pm it was two.

“We’ve now got three on and we’ve had a re-inspection, and the CQC are happy.”

The home received a draft report from the CQC on Monday, yet to be published, which said: “We found that improvements had been made to address the shortfalls associated with insufficient staffing levels.

“These improvements ensured people were safe and their health and safety needs were met by sufficient numbers of appropriate staff.”

Thorncliffe, in Astley Bank, and Oldfield Manor, in Hawkshaw Avenue, both run by the same owners, were both found to be meeting CQC standards during recent inspections.