South Tyneside care home criticised over fire safety standards
The owners of a care home for the elderly in South Tyneside have been criticised by officials from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for failing to ensure fire safety standards are up to scratch.
Dr Veena Vinayak and Dr Paul Vinayak, the owners of the Marina Rest Home in Hebburn, were told that “essential standards” most be improved to protect the home’s residents from harm.
Upon visiting the home – which is one of the oldest private care homes in South Tyneside – last month, CQC officials found that there were inadequate fire alarms and other fire safety measures. There were also issues with care training standards, supervision of staff and the individual care plans drawn up for each resident.
A spokesperson for the CQC said:
“There were insufficient arrangements to make sure that the premises were safe, that fire safety planning was updated and that the fire alarms systems were working properly.
“There were insufficient arrangements at the home for people employed at this service to receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal, to enable them to deliver care and treatment to service users safely and to an appropriate standard.”
The home, which has a staff of 20 for the care of 8 residents, must now improve in time for a follow-up visit by CQC inspectors, who could further action if essential standards have not been met.