Yorkshire care home fined by the Care Quality Commission

A Yorkshire care home has been fined by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for not reporting positive legionella tests. Five out of nine tests which were carried out during routine maintenance at the request of the care home management were positive. The care home management insist that suitable treatment and precautions were taken to re-establish control and remove the risks of disease as soon as the results were received.
While independence in testing is part of good governance, rapid on-site testing would speed up the timing of any corrective action and would reduce risks to residents. With this precedent rapid testing carried out on-site would also reduce the risk of a fine.