Residents quarantined at Cheshire care home due to vomiting bug

Residents at a care home in Cheshire have been put into quarantine, with a unit closing down, after reports of a vomiting bug.

Visitors at the Beechcroft Nursing and Residential Home on Lapwing Grove, Palacefields, have been told to stay away until the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea has been contained.

A spokesperson for Halton Borough Council said: “On 1 July care staff at Beechcroft care home identified a possible outbreak of an infection.

“The service took immediate steps to contain the spread of infection by raising awareness and advising visitors not to visit until the outbreak was contained.”

“The home manager advised the council on 3rd July that all precautionary measures have been implemented, and we will be advised once the home is free of infection.”

A spokesman for HC-One Ltd, which runs the home, added: “Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and wellbeing of the people we support.

“Following the outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting, the home took the appropriate precautions and followed the correct procedures, closing the affected unit and asking family members not to come into the unit if possible while staff worked with the relevant authorities to ensure that residents receive the care and treatment they require.

“First and foremost, our priority is to ensure the comfort and health of residents. We are supporting our staff and will provide all relatives with regular updates.”

In January 2017, the home was rated as ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Action is being taken by HC-One to raise standards in the home in the areas requiring improvement, and a new home manager has been put in place who is reporting regularly to the CQC.

In response, a spokesperson for HC-One said: “We take all feedback from the CQC seriously and have put in place a comprehensive action plan to address the areas raised.

“The team at the home is being supported to ensure that all actions are quickly and effectively implemented, and we are pleased with the good progress made since the inspection. We will continue to work closely with the CQC and the local authority to ensure the home provides the high-quality care that our residents expect and deserve.

“We are looking forward to welcoming the CQC back to the home in the near future so that we can provide reassurance about the kind care that the team is delivering.”