The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has explained why it has not looked to close down a Wirral care home that has been rated inadequate for more than two years.
Sandrock Nursing Home in Wallasey has been rated inadequate four times and placed in special measures by the CQC since April 2021. Before this it had been in and out of being rated inadequate since June 2017 though it was rated “Good” in April 2019.
Wirral Council has also suspended putting people under its care since July 2021 due to quality of care concerns about the home. This has been made public due to a new policy brought in by the council to address poor care home standards.
In the latest CQC report following an inspection in May 2023, the CQC outlined a wide array of concerns from “overwhelming” smelly carpets, blocked drains, and old mattresses in the garden.
The CQC said Prasur Investments who run the care home “demonstrated a lack of understanding about their roles and responsibilities for ensuring the delivery of high-quality care” and “showed a lack of understanding in relation to the management of risk and regulatory requirements.”
While some areas of the home were rated good, the report said, “The provider neglected the premises people lived in, placing them at risk of abuse. We found a series of concerns relating to the safety of both the inside and outside of the premises.”
Usually, when a care home is placed under special measures, it has 12 months to improve and get a better rating or it faces being closed down.
The CQC said in the report, “If the provider has not made enough improvement within this timeframe and there is still a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall rating, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures.
“This will mean we will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service. This will usually lead to cancellation of their registration or to varying the conditions of the registration.”
Asked why they have not begun this process given the care home has been in special measures for over two years, a CQC spokesperson said, “Since April 2021 we have carried out a number of inspections at Sandrock Nursing Home in Wallasey.
“Due to issues found, we have taken enforcement action to keep people safe. In August, we issued the provider a warning notice to focus their attention on areas that still need improvement.
“We are continuing to work closely with the local authority and will return to the home to check the significant improvements have been made. If this doesn’t happen, we will not hesitate to take further action, even if this includes closure of the home.
“Our main priority is always the safety of people using health and social care services, and if we have concerns, we will not hesitate to take action in line with our regulatory powers.
“We would encourage anyone who has concerns about a health and social care service to let us know. This can be done by using the give feedback on care form 
on our website or via our customer service centre on 03000 616161.”
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