The Graan Abbey Nursing Home, Enniskillen RMGFH45
THE OWNER of the Graan Abbey nursing home in Enniskillen has responded to criticism from the North’s health regulators about failings at the facility.
The residence, home to 74 people, has been the subject of scrutiny after an unannounced inspection in April found a number of breaches to health and safety regulations. The inspection, carried out by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) was triggered by a whistleblower, who raised concerns over several issues including the respect and dignity of elderly patients.
During the April inspection some patients were found dressed in day clothes but were still in bed by mid-morning, as staff did not have time to move them to the day room. Other infractions included in the report cited concerns about some unattended medication; cold food including porridge being served; out-of date care records and insufficient staff training. A subsequent unannounced inspection by the RQIA was carried out in June, which suggested that in some instances the home’s use of restrictive practices still did not meet the necessary standard.
Subsequently the home issued with a ‘failure to comply notice’, their first in 25 years of operation. This related specifically to the use of alert mats, the positioning of furniture and seating in client rooms, and the timing of patients coming to the dayrooms in the morning. Issues of cold food, out of date care records, unattended medication and insufficient staff training have according to those at the home, been addressed. The full outcome of the June inspection has yet to be released. Tom McCaffrey, owner of Graan Abbey said he was “entirely focused on addressing the issues identified.”
“We have sought to reassure our clients and their families that despite such notices being commonplace within the sector we are taking this issue very seriously and are undertaking all necessary measures to deliver the same high standard of care that our clients have come to expect from us. The care managers in our local Trust have also been reassured that we are taking all necessary measures to comply with the legislation. “Following an unannounced inspection by the RQIA in April 2015 a number of requirements and recommendations for improvement were identified. We immediately undertook to implement the recommendations, but despite our best efforts a further inspection in June suggested that in some instances our use of restrictive practices still did not meet the necessary standard. This related specifically to the use of alert mats, the positioning of furniture and seating in client rooms, and the timing of patients coming to the dayrooms in the morning. “We are confident that this issue can and will be addressed to everyone’s satisfaction,” he added.
The Graan Abbey nursing home intends to have all the issues identified by the health regulator addressed by August 18 when inspectors return.
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