Inspection concerns: Care home owners say they are working to comply with regulations

The owners of a Dunmurry care home where concerns have been raised about the welfare of residents have given an assurance that they are working with regulators to ensure full compliance with all regulations.
Dunmurry Manor. Pic by Freddie Parkinson, Press EyeDunmurry Manor. Pic by Freddie Parkinson, Press Eye
Dunmurry Manor. Pic by Freddie Parkinson, Press Eye

Runwood Homes, owners of Dunmurry Manor, made the pledge in response to concerns raised by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) about care, staffing and governance arrangements at the facility.

The RQIA identified a number of areas of concern during an unannounced care inspection at Dunmurry Manor in October last year.

As a result, the independent body issued three notices of failure to comply with regulations, which set out the actions required by Dunmurry Manor to achieve compliance with nursing home regulations.

During a follow-up inspection on January 4, RQIA noted some improvement at the home, but said that “further work is required to achieve full compliance with regulations.”

A “short extension” was granted “to allow the actions required to be fully addressed by the management of Dunmurry Manor.”

“The safety and wellbeing of every patient at Dunmurry Manor is of paramount importance to RQIA, and we will continue to monitor this home through our ongoing regulatory and inspection activities,” a spokesperson for the RQIA commented.

A spokesman for Runwood Homes said: “Management and staff at Dunmurry Manor are working closely with regulators to ensure full compliance with all regulations. A comprehensive Action Plan has been developed to support the management at the home. All resources required to support the home to meet each compliance have been made available to the manager.”

Stressing that inspectors will be visiting the home again to ensure compliance, the RQIA spokesperson added: “At the end of this period we will again assess the service. Should compliance have been achieved the notices are lifted, and if not, we would consider the next stages in enforcement.”

Last month the South Eastern Health Trust launched an investigation at Dunmurry Manor in response to complaints about standards of care.

New admissions to the home were also suspended - the second time such action had been taken at the facility in as many years.