Residents of Milner House Care Home in Leatherhead were at risk of Legionnaire's Disease, say Care Quality Commission

Milner House Care Home in Ermyn Way, Leatherhead, had its safety provision branded “inadequate” by the Care Quality Community Commission (CQC) and was said to “require improvement” in other areas.

Care UK, the organisation which runs the care home, insist that by the time of the report’s publication last month, they had dedicated “two very experienced managers” to work with staff at the home to address the issues raised by the CQC.

They have apologised to families for any shortcomings in the care delivered.

The home’s water supply tested positive for Legionella – the bacteria which causes Legionnaire’s Disease, a lung infection characterised by flu-like symptoms - in November 2015. And when CQC inspectors carried out an inspection in February, they found that controls to reduce the risk of the disease “had not been managed effectively”.

Care UK also insist that by April all their showers and taps were free from Legionella.

Inspectors also learned that the home’s approximate 40 residents had fallen a total of 61 times in the previous year. The care home’s records said that “many of the falls had occurred when staff were at their busiest”, according to the CQC’s report, which was published in April.

Residents also told inspectors that although “staff had never physically harmed them”, some staff “did not provide personal care in a timely way, which made them feel devalued”.

And although “most people had a choice about their food”, according to the report, residents’ “specialist dietary needs and preferences were not always met”.

The CQC also found that there were “limited opportunities” for “people who felt nervous or were unable to raise concerns independently” to air grievances. The watchdog concluded that “these people did not feel listened to and valued”.

Michelle Sampang, regional director for Care UK said: “Team members have already taken part in training and we are overhauling the planning and recording of care to make sure that things like people’s food preferences are properly captured.

“I am personally overseeing this work and I can see that things are already improving. “We have also kept residents and their families and friends up-to-date with what is happening at the home and we have apologised for any shortcomings in the care delivered.

“With reference to the Legionella risk, this had been identified during a regular review and, when the CQC inspectors visited in February, action was already underway to address the matter.

“The published CQC report includes confirmation that we had demonstrated that all water outlets throughout the home had been re-tested and found to be free from Legionella.”