A CO ANTRIM care home banned new residents from being admitted just two months after it opened when their manager left and no permanent replacements were found, it has emerged.
Glenabbey Manor in Glengormley, which is owned by an English company that ran a Co Fermanagh nursing home shut down over care failings, was slated for mismanagement during a spot inspection by the regulator.
It emerged that only "some" employees had criminal background checks carried out - a move that led to those without vetting being immediately removed from the duty rota.
Access NI checks must be carried out for people working with children or vulnerable adults.
The Glengormley facility is run by Essex-based firm Runwood Homes and has more than 50 places but only eight residents were there on the day of the inspection in August.
In the same month, the Runwood-owned Ashbrooke home in Enniskillen was closed by the regulator in an unprecedented move due to poor care standards that led to 40 vulnerable residents being re-housed.
A team from the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) discovered that a new 'temporary' manager for Glenabbey Manor was on annual leave and that a stand-in only arrived on learning that the inspection was taking place.
"...the home had voluntarily suspended admissions to new residents. This was to allow for a new registered manager to be recruited," the RQIA team noted.
While inspectors found the facility was clean and residents spoke in favourable terms about their care, they raised serious concerns about agency staff not receiving induction training.
The RQIA team admitted they "considered taking enforcement action" given the "gravity" of the failings.
"Areas requiring improvement were identified. These included the management arrangements in
the home, induction of agency staff, competency and capability assessments, enhanced Access
NI disclosures for all staff being obtained before the commencement of employment and
accurate maintenance of the staff duty rota," the review stated.
"Discussion confirmed that the registered person had fully recognised the gravity of the situation and the inspector was assured that this would not arise again. Recruitment practices will be regularly inspected in future."
Inspectors also noted that "good practice" was found in relation to "the home's environment, care records, communication between residents, staff and other key stakeholders, listening to and valuing
residents and to maintaining good working relationships".
They added: "It was decided that any potential risk to the home's residents was not present on the day of inspection. Furthermore, the registered provider had identified, through internal governance systems, those issues relating to enhanced AccessNI disclosures; immediate and appropriate action had been taken to safeguard residents."
While assurances were given by Runwood, a charity last night said the number of warnings given by the regulator in relation to almost half of their 11 homes in the north was 'significant'.
"My worry here is the repeated concerns raised by the watchdog when Runwood open a home," said Aidan Hanna of NI Patient Voice.
A spokeswoman for Runwood told the Irish News that a new 'nurse manager' has now been appointed and the home is "fully staffed in respect of RQIA standards".
"As this is a new home, ongoing recruitment will continue until the home is at full occupancy," she added.
