RESIDENTS at a Hampshire care home faced waits of up to one hour and 40 minutes after calling for help, while others may have gone without food or drink for 14 hours, a report has revealed.

Staffing levels were “not sufficient” to meet the needs of people being cared for at Maypole Nursing Centre in Hedge End, while privacy and dignity were “not always respected”, Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found.

Food and fluid records at the Bupa Care Homes facility were not always completed and failed to demonstrate that people had received adequate amounts, the inspection report said.
Now the 68-place centre, which cares for young and older adults and people with physical disabilities, has been ordered to make improvements.

And Hampshire County Council social care chief Anna McNair Scott says the authority is refusing to place any more people there until it is satisfied standards have improved.

Bupa, which charges between £550 and £1,200 per week for a place in its care homes, says it has taken immediate steps – including a review of staff numbers, extra investment and extra staff training.

The unannounced check-up in March found that response times to call bell alerts sometimes ranged between 40 minutes and one hour and 40 minutes – coinciding with morning and early evening periods when people needed most support.

Staff told inspectors that “there is no choice, you get to them when you can”, that they “felt rushed” and that staffing had “got much worse in the last few weeks”.

The CQC report said: “We were told people were being admitted who had complex needs and the staffing levels did not take this into consideration.

“This showed people’s needs were not attended to and people requiring help did not receive it in a timely manner due to inadequate staffing and put them at risk to their welfare and safety.”

An observation of the lounge area found that although the TV was on, none of the people there were watching it.

They were taken back to the lounge after lunch “and were again left for long periods with no interaction except for the television, which people were not watching”.

Inspectors found that another person was exposed in bed as their bedroom door had been left open and had to ask for action to be taken “to preserve this person’s dignity”.

There were also found to be gaps of between eight to 14 hours where records showed people “may not have received any food or fluids”.

The report went on: “Staff were unable to demonstrate that people who were at risk were monitored and appropriate actions taken in order to meet their needs.”

Inspectors did point to a number of positives, with residents praising the “fantastic food” and varied diet as well as the “helpful and kind” staff who “tried their best”.

But following the inspection the Lower Northam Road-based facility was told to make improvements.

Kenny Valentine, acting director, South region Bupa Care Services, said: “We have taken immediate steps and provided the CQC with our action plan.

“This includes further training for our staff and capital investment at the home, including the installation of a new call bell system, which is monitored daily.

"We have also reviewed the staffing numbers and are supporting them with an experienced home manager and quality consultant.”