Care home makes changes after patients ‘at risk of burns’

St Brigas Residential Home and Day Centre supports people with learning difficulties and had 16 adults on its books when the Care Quality Comission (CQC) made a surprise inspection.

Concerns over safety were made by the health watchdog.

Despite the findings, the home’s manager Lynne Whitehouses says no-one has suffered a burn injury in more than 20 years and changes are being made following the review.

The inspectors’ report, published at the end of October, described several safety failings and issues with leadership in their report rating the home as ‘requiring improvement’.

Shortfalls in safety and leadership exposed residents to a variety of risks but staff provided an effective service and were caring and responsive, inspectors concluded.

The inspectors, upon their visit in April, reported: “We found [bedroom] radiators were uncovered and could be rolled onto or lent against which could burn or scald the person.”

People could also have been burnt by scalding water because staff did not check the temperatures at all hot water taps or people’s water temperatures before showering or bathing them.

And residents and staff were at risk of getting an infection from one another because there was no liquid hand soap or paper towels in people’s rooms.

Inspectors admonished the leadership for ‘not monitoring, assessing and mitigating risks relating to health and safety and people’s individual risks’ despite having safety audits in place.

But they noted residents, relatives and staff ‘spoke positively about the management of the home’

Mrs Whitehouse said St Brigas must now send monthly reports to the CQC detailing hot water temperature checks and progress installing covers on all the radiators.

Temperature gauges have been installed on most of the taps and all the bedroom radiators are covered now, she said.

Mrs Whitehouse accepted the findings and St Brigas had changed its safety auditor as a result of the report.