Inadequate care home to remain in special measures

A care home which was deemed inadequate earlier this year will have to stay in special measures to ensure to ensure residents' safety, a health watchdog has said.

West Ridings Care Home, in Lofthouse, was rated inadequate in July and, following another inspection in October, that rating would remain in place, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC said close monitoring would take place at the facility, which provides support to adults of all ages living with dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities.

A spokesperson for Advinia Care Homes Ltd, which runs the site, said a "robust action plan to address the issues highlighted in the report" had been implemented.

The inspection in October was carried out to follow up on concerns over safeguarding incidents at the home, as well as fears over residents' care not being safe or well-managed and concerns over how the home itself was run, the CQC said.

Following that visit, inspectors once again rated the home as inadequate both in terms of it being safe and it being well-led.

Meanwhile, inspectors downgraded its previous rating for being caring and responsive from good to requiring improvement.

The home was also downgraded from good to requiring improvement when it came to the home being effective, the CQC stated.

Victoria Marsden, CQC deputy director of operations, north adult social care, said it had been "very disappointing" to see a further deterioration in the quality of care being provided at the home since the last inspection in the summer.

"Continued poor leadership and ineffective risk management meant people were receiving unsafe care, which is unacceptable in a place they call home," Ms Marsden explained.

"Leaders were still placing people at risk of harm, and we continued to find issues with a high number of people experiencing falls, as well as people having skin tears and unexplained bruising, which is very concerning."

Ms Marsden said that basic care needs were not being met properly at the home.

"For example, people at risk of skin tears or pressure ulcers weren't being repositioned in bed regularly, which made their conditions worse, and people's continence care wasn't managed effectively, which affected their dignity and wellbeing."

Managers did not ensure staff were where they needed to be within the home to keep people safe, and communal areas were often left unattended, she added.

Ms Marsden said the continuation of special measures meant the home had been given a structured timeframe so staff understood when improvements must be made by, and what action the CQC would take if that did not happen.

The care watchdog had also begun the process of taking regulatory action to address concerns, which Advinia Care Homes Ltd had the right to appeal against, according to the CQC.

"We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe while that happens," Ms Marsden said.

"We will return to check on their progress and won't hesitate to use our regulatory powers further if people still aren't receiving the care they have a right to expect."

A spokesperson for Advinia Care Homes Ltd said the "safety and wellbeing of our residents is our highest priority, and our teams work tirelessly to provide the best possible support for those in our care".

However, they said the site housed a high number of extremely dependent residents and the home received limited financial support, adding: "This leaves providers like us delivering care significantly below cost, and under unsustainable pressure.

"Despite this, our dedicated team continues to deliver compassionate care."

They said a new home manager had been appointed since the CQC inspection and the leadership team had formulated and implemented a robust action plan.

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