Failing Dunmurry Manor Care Home has made improvements

The dementia care home opened in 2014 and became the subject of a series of notifications by regulators, as well as health trusts, about what the Commission for Older People described as “inadequate standards of care”.

In October 2016 the home was issued with three ‘Failure to Comply’ notices by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). At the end of January 2017 the home was formally closed to new admissions.

Conditions have since been lifted by the RQIA and a report from the CPEA – a social care, health and management consultancy – found standards have improved at the home.

In the report published by the Department of Health – produced following a two-day review of the home – CPEA stated: “During the visits Dunmurry was assessed as being a safe place for people to live quality lives.”

The department said this was in keeping with RQIA’s most recent findings from its inspections of the home.

The CPEA report noted: “RQIA reports since 2014 show the home went through difficult times resulting in the many inspection visits from the care inspectors, pharmacy and estates. There were additionally weekly visits from professionals from commissioning health trusts who carried out audits.”

It stated that there had been a high turnover of managers and that consequently “the home experienced difficulties in maintaining standards and compliance”.

A new manager started work in May 2017.

“It is well evidenced in the RQIA inspection reports and from comments made during the visit by staff, visitors and residents that the home has been consistently improving since the new manager has been in post,” CPEA said.

Reporting on its visits to Dunmurry Manor, CPEA said: “Observations throughout the visits showed staff related to residents in an appropriate way that demonstrated their values in respecting and caring about the individual residents. This approach was confirmed by the visitors and residents.”

A second report by the Care Inspectorate examined RQIA’s work in regulating Dunmurry Manor and responding to concerns. It found RQIA had “promoted good practice, encouraged improvements and took action to protect people using the service when poor practice was identified”.