Care home in special measures amid safety fears

A Wolverhampton care home has been put in special measures after inspectors found residents' care had significantly deteriorated and was not safe.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has downgraded Ashley Court Care Limited in Penn from "requiring improvement" to "inadequate" after inspectors visited the premises last November.

Inspectors said they found some residents "looking unclean and unkempt", staff not treating people respectfully nor always distributing medicine, and that senior staff had not ensured the home was clean.

The home, which helps old and young people, some of whom have dementia, said the assessment was not accurate or a fair reflection and intended to appeal.

The CQC said it carried out its inspection after receiving concerns.

Necessary improvements had not been made since a previous inspection and the home was still in breach of two regulations around safe care and treatment and management, the watchdog said.

Four new breaches were recorded from the latest inspection around staffing, dignity and respect, person-centred care and the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

The home has also been rated as inadequate in the individual categories relating to safety and leadership, and effectiveness and care. The category recording responsiveness dropped from "good" to "requires improvement".

Amanda Lyndon, CQC deputy director of adult social care for the West Midlands, said it was "disappointing" that after previously outlining where improvements were needed, leaders had allowed people's care "to deteriorate significantly", adding it "wasn't always safe".

"We asked staff for information about how people with mobility issues accessed the bath or shower but didn't always receive it, indicating that people weren't always receiving them.

"It was also concerning to see staff didn't involve all people in decisions about their care or tell them about changes as a result."

In response, the home said it strongly believed a single-word rating did not reflect the standard of care it delivered.

A substantial range of positive aspects of care were seen by inspectors, with residents happy with their care and feeling safe, a spokesperson added.

However, the home said it recognised areas "where we can do better, and through our culture of continual learning and improvement, we are focused on making those changes".

The home welcomed a current review on how the CQC inspects care services, adding that a "re-inspection under a new system" would give a more accurate picture of the care it offered.

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