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| Folkestone: Pelham House care home staff not wearing masks after Covid deaths | Folkestone: Pelham House care home staff not wearing masks after Covid deaths |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The CQC said residents did not always receive their prescribed medication | The CQC said residents did not always receive their prescribed medication |
| A Kent care home has been rated inadequate and placed in special measures following an inspection. | |
| Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found standards at Pelham House in Folkestone were "well below" what was expected. | |
| They found staff did not always wear masks at the home, where 10 out of 22 residents died with Covid in June 2020. | They found staff did not always wear masks at the home, where 10 out of 22 residents died with Covid in June 2020. |
| Pelham House owner Roger Waluube said his staff "put a huge amount of effort and hard work in to keep people safe". | |
| Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, he said he was "disappointed with the report and the impression given" but the issues raised by the CQC had been addressed. | |
| The inspection on 11 August found: "Staff and management didn't wear face masks in line with government guidance." | |
| Pelham House had been given an "inadequate" rating by the CQC in October 2021, and upgraded to "requires improvement" in March 2022. | Pelham House had been given an "inadequate" rating by the CQC in October 2021, and upgraded to "requires improvement" in March 2022. |
| Inspectors in August said that staff knew how to raise safeguarding concerns, and were positive about the home's manager, saying they felt they could raise any issues. | Inspectors in August said that staff knew how to raise safeguarding concerns, and were positive about the home's manager, saying they felt they could raise any issues. |
| But the CQC also reported residents were at risk of falling, and that incidents were not reported, and lessons were not learned. | But the CQC also reported residents were at risk of falling, and that incidents were not reported, and lessons were not learned. |
| 'Further action' | 'Further action' |
| Hazel Roberts, CQC head of adult social care inspection, said: "We found standards of care fell way below what people should expect and a number of issues were putting people at risk." | Hazel Roberts, CQC head of adult social care inspection, said: "We found standards of care fell way below what people should expect and a number of issues were putting people at risk." |
| She said residents did not always receive their medication as prescribed, and the premises were not always clean. | She said residents did not always receive their medication as prescribed, and the premises were not always clean. |
| The care home, which provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia, was inspected after concerns about the standards of care were raised. | The care home, which provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia, was inspected after concerns about the standards of care were raised. |
| CQC inspectors found cleaning products were not locked away, and hot water taps were not temperature-controlled, putting residents at risk. | CQC inspectors found cleaning products were not locked away, and hot water taps were not temperature-controlled, putting residents at risk. |
| 'Recovery journey' | |
| Mr Waluube said: "When we look at our residents and our staff, by and large they are very happy people." | |
| He said a decision had been made for staff to stop wearing masks unless they were carrying out "personal care" duties. | |
| "We moved from a position of wearing masks every day, all day, particularly during the summer, to doing lateral flow tests," he explained. | |
| He said all care homes were struggling with recruitment and funding issues but changes had been made since the inspection. | |
| He said the home had also "strengthened and boosted" its management and administration teams. | |
| "Coming out of Covid, we knew the recovery journey was going to take years, not months or weeks. That journey is still continuing," he added. | |
| Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. | Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk. |