A care provider has been ordered to pay over £150,000 at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, after it failed to protect residents at one of its homes from avoidable harm.
Ideal Care Homes (Number One) Ltd, which runs Bowbridge Court in Newark-on-Trent, was fined £140,000 in court today (Friday, 7 May). It was also ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge and £14,361.60 costs.
At a previous hearing, Ideal Care Homes pleaded guilty to two offences, prosecuted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), connected to its management of a Bowbridge Court resident who had a history of physical aggression towards others.
Mary Cridge, CQC deputy chief inspector for adult social care, said:
“This is a distressing case and I welcome Ideal Care Homes' guilty pleas.
“People had every right to expect safe care at Bowbridge Court, but Ideal Care Homes failed in its specific legal duty to protect residents from avoidable harm.
“The majority of care providers do an excellent job. However, when a provider puts people in its care at risk of harm, we take action to hold it to account and protect people.
“I hope this prosecution reminds care providers that they must always ensure people’s safety and manage risks to their wellbeing.”
On 12 December 2017, a Bowbridge Court resident with a history of challenging behaviour grabbed and pushed back on a walking frame being used by another resident, Lilian Stark, in the home’s communal lounge, causing her to fall and sustain a head injury.
Ms Stark, a 93-year-old woman susceptible to falling due to her frailty and dementia, was also kicked several times by the person while she was on the floor.
She was treated by paramedics and recovered from her injury.
Although the resident who grabbed Ms Stark’s walking frame had been physically aggressive at least 18 times in the two months before this incident, the service had not acted comprehensively to protect Ms Stark and other residents from the risk posed.
This included failing to resolve issues CQC raised following two inspections of the home in the year before the incident – such as improving detail in care plans for people who challenged the service and responding to risk.
Ideal Care Homes pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe care and treatment to Ms Stark, resulting in her suffering avoidable harm.
It also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of exposing Bowbridge Court’s other residents to a significant risk of avoidable harm, due to its inadequate management of threats to their safety.
Ends
For enquiries about this press release please email regional.engagement@cqc.org.uk.
Journalists wishing to speak to the press office outside of office hours can find out how to contact the team here (Please note: the duty press officer is unable to advise members of the public on health or social care matters).
For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.