THE Graan Abbey Nursing Home has been issued with two failure to comply notices after issues related to medicine management were highlighted.
The latest inspection carried out on 27 November by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) reported that “management of medicines was not robust”. The report raised concerns by flagging areas where the provision of care fell below the required standard. Namely, the management of medication changes, storage of medication and governance and auditing systems.
The inspection also found discrepancies in the administration of prescribed medicines for several patients. The report states, “There was evidence that registered nurses had signed for prescribed medicines that they had not administered and not signed for prescribed medicines which they had administered.”
This news is the latest in a series of blows for those relying on nursing and care homes in Fermanagh with the Drumclay Nursing Home closing this week and the Ashbrooke facility closing two years ago.
Patricia Donald, chairman of the South West Ageing Partnership said she felt the standard of care in Fermanagh is good but remarked that a big problem is acquiring trained nurses. “That is not the fault of the nursing homes or hospitals it has been a failure of the Trust and Department to train enough nurses.”
Commenting on the report she said, “I think we can’t excuse it, we must say medicines are terribly important and they need to be administered by trained staff. Staff need training but if you are taking them off the floor to train them then you need cover and that isn’t easy to get.”
Carol Kelly of Carewell Homes, which manages the Graan, said that staff at the nursing home were ‘entirely focused’ on addressing specific areas for improvement.
“We would like to reassure our residents and their families that we are taking the recommendations very seriously and will take the necessary measures required – including a continued review of our procedures, additional staff training, and a number of internal audits – to ensure that our residents continue to receive the high standard of care that they have come to expect from Carewell Homes.”
Speaking about the case a RQIA spokesman said, “RQIA has advised the Western Health and Social Care Trust, as the commissioner of the care for these patients, of our concerns. The safety and wellbeing of everyone living at this home is of paramount importance to RQIA, and we continue to monitor The Graan Abbey through our ongoing regulatory and inspection activities.”
A spokesman for the Trust added, “The Trust is aware that the Graan Abbey Nursing Home in Enniskillen has been issued with two RQIA failure to comply notices and we will offer the Care Home any support required to ensure that residents remain safe and continue to receive a high standard of care.”
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