Charnley House

Charnley House in Hyde is a residential care home that provides personal care and specialist support for up to 40 older people, predominantly those living with dementia. During recent inspections, residents and their families generally shared that the staff were kind, helpful, and that residents felt safe living at the home. However, the latest CQC report highlights multiple areas requiring urgent attention, particularly concerning daily care practices, staff capacity, and overall oversight.

When it comes to safety, medication management showed significant shortfalls, including missing records for time-sensitive drugs, topical creams, and covert medications, alongside a lack of trained night staff to handle as-needed prescriptions. Individual risk assessments and monitoring charts, such as repositioning and fluid logs, were not always accurately completed, and some required safety equipment was missing. Furthermore, parts of the building required better cleanliness, odor control, and maintenance repairs, while staffing levels were sometimes insufficient to meet residents' needs promptly, especially given the high volume of falls.

The home's effectiveness was impacted by gaps in staff training and supervision. Crucial courses, such as specialist dementia care, catheter care, and required learning for supporting autistic individuals, were not universally completed by the team, and some training was incorrectly pushed to staff's personal time. Additionally, the physical environment and interior layout failed to follow best practice guidelines for dementia, lacking adequate signage, orientation aids, and personalized bedroom doors to help residents navigate independently.

While interactions between staff and residents were observed to be positive and caring, the daily support remained heavily task-oriented. Staff frequently lacked the time to address residents' emotional needs, personal grooming was sometimes overlooked, and some bedrooms were found to be unclean. Care plans also lacked specific details regarding individual personal preferences, making it harder for staff to deliver truly tailored daily care.

The service was not consistently responsive to people's individual needs and preferences. Residents had limited access to meaningful, inclusive, and person-centered activities tailored to their choices. For individuals living with dementia, the lack of communication aids and clear internal signage made it difficult for them to move freely around the home or easily express their personal views and daily choices.

Finally, leadership and governance systems failed to provide effective oversight of the service. Internal audits and monitoring processes did not identify or resolve the serious concerns found during the inspection, marking multiple consecutive inspections where leadership domains have fallen short. The provider is now required to submit a comprehensive action plan to address these multiple regulatory breaches and improve standards.