Stockport nursing home warned by CQC about medicine errors

A nursing home which put residents "at risk of harm" due to mistakes in the managing and administering of medicines has been ordered to improve.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave Bowerfield Court in Stockport, Greater Manchester, a warning notice following an inspection in March.

The CQC report said one resident missed their diabetes medication for nine days while others had been put at risk of paracetamol overdose.

The home said it had made improvements.

The nursing home in Broadwood Close, Disley, provides personal or nursing care for up to 40 people, including those with physical disabilities.

The inspection was in part prompted by concerns over medicines, staffing and poor care, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

While the home was said to be "clean and tidy" with "plentiful stock of PPE [personal protective equipment]", various infection prevention and control practices, records and procedures were either not in place, not up to date or not being followed. Safety standards were found to be "inadequate".

"We found one person had missed a tablet for diabetes for nine days due to an error with the monthly medicines changeover," inspectors said.

"Guidance for administering insulin was also not always followed and we saw evidence where a resident had not received what they needed."

They added: "Staff had administered paracetamol without observing a four-hour gap between doses, putting people at risk of harm from paracetamol overdose."

People living at the home also voiced concerns.

One told inspectors: "Some staff bring the right medication at the right time, but I have had five drug errors in 12 weeks, either late or the wrong drug. I know what all my tablets look like.

"I do not feel as safe as I would like because of the drug errors."

Another said they had been given given paracetamol and Zapain at the same time, meaning they were "overdosed on paracetamol on several occasions".

However, some did make positive comments.

"The regular staff are very good and know what they are doing," said one resident.

The report also noted people were safeguarded from abuse and the manager took action to address concerns raised during and after the inspection.

A spokesperson for Maria Mallaband Care Group, which runs the home, said senior managers were "supporting staff in order to ensure the necessary improvements are made and sustained".

They added: "We are confident we are making the necessary improvements and creating a positive care service since the initial inspection."

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