13 January 2012
The Care Quality Commission is taking action to protect the safety and welfare of people living in a care home at Paignton in Devon.
In a report which is published this week, CQC inspectors identify a series of concerns found at Lynwood Care Home. CQC has been working closely with Torbay Care Trust to ensure people are not at immediate risk of harm.
Inspectors found that the provider, Lynwood Residential Care Limited, was failing to meet six national standards of quality and safety, covering care and welfare, staffing, staff training, respecting and involving people and record-keeping. By law, providers of care services must ensure that they are meeting all standards.
Inspectors have made five unannounced visits to the care home since concerns were raised in May under local safeguarding procedures.
Torbay Care Trust has stopped new admissions and has been visiting daily to ensure that the eight people living there are protected and that there are no further admissions to the home. CQC has a range of legal powers it can use to protect people.
The report which has been published on the CQC website details the concerns found during inspections in October. Among those concerns:
Respecting and involving people who use services
Although people who live in the home and their relatives and representatives had now been involved in care planning and decision making, people’s choices were not being respected.
Care and welfare of people who use services
The registered manager had not taken proper steps to ensure that the planning and delivery of care and treatment meets people's individual needs and ensures their welfare and safety.
Safeguarding people who use services from abuse
People were not safeguarded from the risk of abuse as the policies in place do not contain suitable arrangements for responding appropriately to any allegation. Staff training was not sufficient to ensure that staff understood safeguarding procedures.
Staffing
Staffing levels were too low to ensure the safety of the people who live in the home and staff had not been trained adequately.
Ian Biggs, Deputy Director of CQC in the South said: “Our first priority is the care and welfare of the residents living at Lynwood and we have been working closely with Torbay Care Trust to ensure that the eight people still living there are not at undue risk of harm.
“Where we have continuing concerns, we have a range of powers we can use to protect the safety and welfare of people who use this service. If we propose to take enforcement action, the law does not allow us to go into detail, although we will publish information about this in due course.
“In the meantime, Lynwood Care Home has stopped new admissions and Torbay Care Trust has been visiting the home daily. We will continue to monitor the home and our inspectors will return unannounced in the near future.”
Ends
For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.
Notes to editors
About the CQC: Snippet for press releases
About the Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.
We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.
We monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find to help people choose care.
Read the reports
Read the reports from our checks on standards at Lynwood Care Home.