Urgent action as officials move residents from Lincolnshire care home ‘to keep them safe’

All nineteen residents at a nursing home near Market Rasen are being moved to alternative accommodation after an urgent inspection uncovered several ‘areas of concern’.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an inspection at The Laurels Nursing Home on Lincoln Road in Holton-cum-Beckering on September 14 after reports of concerns. Following this, the CQC said it was taking action, while Lincolnshire County Council said the “support isn’t up to standard” at the home.

The Laurels Nursing Home, run by Vaghjiani Limited, is currently rated as ‘requires improvement’ by the CQC. The home provides personal and nursing care and can support up to 30 people in one adapted and extended building over two floors.

The report detailing the inspection findings will be published by the CQC in due course. The previous inspection report from February 2021 is available here.

A CQC spokesperson said: “CQC carried out an urgent inspection of The Laurels Nursing Home, in Holton-cum-Beckering, Lincolnshire, on September 14 following several concerns raised with the commission. As a result of the inspection and the serious concerns found, we are taking action to protect the welfare and safety of people living at the home.

“While our legal processes do not allow us to go in to further detail at this time, we will publish a report in due course. In the meantime we continue to work closely with the local authority. All CQC’s action is open to appeal.”

Alina Hackney, head of commercial services at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Working closely with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and health colleagues, we have identified areas of concern where the support isn’t up to standard at the Laurels Care Home, which is a nursing home.

“The health and safety of the 19 residents is our main priority and we are working with their families to find suitable alternative homes where we can be assured they will receive the best possible care and support.”

Prior to this inspection, the home was last inspected on February 2 this year. At the time of the inspection in February it was providing care to 13 people.

The report in February stated the infection prevention and control practices at the service had shown a marked improved since CQC’s last visit.

This came after a focused inspection was carried out on August 4 this year, when it was rated as ‘requires improvement’. After this, the CQC undertook a targeted infection prevention and control (IPC) inspection on December 22 last year after an outbreak of coronavirus at the service.

At the time, CQC found the home was in breach of regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. After this inspection, a warning notice was issued to the provider by CQC.

Shortfalls were found in the way infection prevention and control was managed at the time to ensure people’s safety. This included staff practice, cleanliness and maintenance of the environment and equipment, and the management of the layout of the building during the COVID-19 outbreak.

It was also noted that there was also a lack of information in people’s care records on how to support people during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, after the visit in February, it was revealed that evidence had proved the provider was no longer in breach of Regulation 12, including staff wearing the appropriate PPE, and regular checks being carried out to ensure staff practices were in line with the government recommended guidance.

The Lincolnite tried to contact the care home for a response via telephone on numerous occasions on Friday, but the phone line was continuously engaged before later just ringing, going to voicemail, and cutting off.