Breaking The Chain of Elderly Abuse Complacency - Ignorance - Denial - Silence | Reg. Charity No:1102282
The cost of ignoring whistle-blowers.
Tales Of The UN-Inspected
Home Number 133
Bupa Manley Court Catford
By Eileen Chubb
COPYRIGHT APRIL 2016
Two weeks ago 69 year old Cedric Skyers, who was wheelchair bound after a stroke was sitting in the garden of Manley Court Care Home smoking a cigarette. He caught fire and when he was eventually discovered he was rushed to hospital where he died from the severe burns which covered his whole body. Mr Skyers burnt alive, this would have taken a long time and he would have suffered horrendous pain. These events were preceded by the following chain of events.
CQC INSPECTION REPORT MAY 2009.
This is the earliest report available from the CQC web site, the home is said to have made significant improvements since its past failings which included,
Immigration officials raided the home because all the staff were working illegally and the home is now being staffed by agency workers.
Why was this not discovered earlier by the CQC?
How were these staff employed without proper background checks?
Who was held to account for this situation?
Complaints made to the CQC were referred back to the home to investigate themselves.
This is a sorry excuse for action, most relatives and care staff go to the CQC only after first raising the concerns with the home who fail to act. People risk going to the CQC to be told their concerns have been referred back to the person who failed to investigate them in the first place, feel betrayed and demoralised by the CQC and Safeguarding.
Other issues noted.
The Garden is still dangerous and the work to make it safe has still not been carried out by Bupa.
There are not enough hoists for people.
Relatives have concerns about staffing levels being too low.
CQC INSPECTION REPORT MAY 2012 ( 3 YEARS LATER)
Issues noted.
Because of the high number of accidents Health and Safety are monitoring the home.
Why when such serious issues have been identified was the home not inspected for a three year period?
A relative raised concerns about the safety of bed-rails in the home and all the bed rails in use had to be removed as a result.
This is a company with a history of bed rail-deaths see our full report on this,
https://compassionincare.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/W-B3.pdf
Other issues noted.
Half the relatives spoken to felt their concerns were ignored.
Staffing levels are too low
Yet an area found to meeting standards was the company self monitoring which missed all the above. Quality assurance is about surveying people and asking only those questions that are convenient.
(Private Eye issue number (1352) which features The Bupa quality assurance system.)
CQC INSPECTION APRIL 2013 (11 MONTHES LATER)
Issues noted.
Safety repairs still not completed.
A nurse tells the CQC she is all alone most days.
Staff raised concerns about low staffing on record
Not enough catering staff.
Relatives are having to provide basic care.
The majority of people are being left in their rooms all day due to staffing levels being so low.
Meals are being served later and later and no one to feed people.
Residents tell CQC they do not think help will come when they need help.
Again CQC only fail 3 of the 7 standards checked and pass quality assurance yet again.
CQC INSPECTION JULY 2013 ( 12 WEEKS LATER)
CQC are informed of the suffering that has taken place as a result of the conditions noted by CQC in the home 12 weeks ago.
Now enforcement taken action taken on the standard that relates to Care and Welfare and the home fails on the standards that relate to statutory notifications, staffing and respecting people.
Issues noted.
People unkempt, dirty.
Left lying in urine and faeces.
Residents left in their rooms all day without the means to call for help.
People left without food or drink.
This inspection is only taking place because the hospital raised the alarm when a resident with hip injuries and Malnutrition was admitted from the home.
CQC INSPECTION SEPTEMBER 2013 ( 8 WEEKS LATER)
Fails 3 standards Compliant on 3 Standards.
Now the home is said to have adequate staffing levels but I can not find the evidence relied on for the CQC judgements.
CQC INSPECTION JULY 2014 ( 10 MONTHES LATER)
THE ALLEDGED NEW IMPROVED CQC INSPECTION REGIEM.
The full inspection is not available to download and has to be read on-line which is made as difficult and confusing as possible.
The cover version lists the five new key questions answered as follows.
Is the home Safe?
Is the home Effective?
Is the home Caring?
Is the home Responsive ?
Is the home Well Led?
This is the CQC page link
Scroll down this page to the report for July 2014
http://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-127818698/reports
The above questions are implied to be met by the CQC. It is only after looking beyond this misleading statement that you find by following a series of links that the home failed on medication and equipment. Staffing levels however are said to be fully met.
Before reading the last available inspection please note the below statement from CQC.
Letter to Eileen Chubb from Andria Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector CQC.
“ We take any concerns about services we regulate very seriously and will take action where we find that a service is not providing people with safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care. From April 2015 we introduced a new enforcement policy and supporting procedures to ensure that inspectors consider whether there is evidence of systemic failings in the quality of care and/or management, which will result in recurrent issues and to insure that appropriate action is taken where this is the case”
THE MOST RECENT CQC INSPECTION REPORT APRIL 2015. ( 9 MONTHES LATER)
The report Lists 3 of the five key questions as requiring improvement.
Given the staffing and equipment issues that have been a recurrent and ingrained culture as a result of how this home has been managed and resourced by Bupa management for years why has no action ever been taken.
Issues Noted.
Staffing levels are so low residents are again at risk and care staff have again raised concerns which have been ignored and are clearly Whistle-blowing issues, but not recognised as Whistle-blowing by the alleged whistle-blowing Guardian regulator CQC.
These brave staff say it all regarding the staffing levels.
“ 2 staff are in tears”
“ We are not coping with the workload”
“ Residents are at risk”
“ It is not possible to provide good care”
“ The risk residents is high”
If these staff had been listened to and protected by Edna s Law, then Cedric Skyers would not have suffered such a horrific death and many others would not have suffered the neglect and abuse that BUPA and the CQC are so good at ignoring and covering up.
Edna s law and how to support our campaign can be found on the link below.
Eileen Chubb