CQC takes action to protect the welfare of people through cancellation of Nottinghamshire care home owner’s registration

22 October 2013

CQC takes action to protect the welfare of people through cancellation of Nottinghamshire care home owner’s registration

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has taken urgent legal action to stop a care home owner from being able to run a Nottinghamshire residential home, to protect the safety and welfare of people.

CQC has cancelled the registration of St Andrews Lodge, in Riber Crescent, Basford, Nottinghamshire, with immediate effect. This means the provider, Methodist Homes, can no longer legally operate a care service from its premises there.

CQC took this action because it had serious concerns about the service and the risks to people using it.

CQC carried out unannounced inspections at the home on 12, 13, 15 and 21 August following information that had come to light about the service. Warning notices were issued to the home as a result of this visit in relation to the care and welfare of people who use services, and safeguarding people who use services from abuse.

Following these inspections, the home continued to be monitored by CQC, Nottingham City Council and NHS England. CQC carried out another visit on 8 October to see if improvements had been made. Inspectors were not satisfied care standards were being met and found people were at risk of receiving unsafe and inappropriate care.

As a result of this, CQC decided urgent action was needed to ensure people were protected.

Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at CQC, said: “The failings we witnessed at St Andrews Lodge were completely unacceptable. CQC took swift action to protect the safety and wellbeing of people by moving to urgently cancel this home’s registration, meaning it could no longer operate.

“Taking action leading to the closure of any service is not something that we take lightly, but when we find very poor practice, as we did in this case, we have no choice but to take action to protect the safety and welfare of people.

“This sends a strong public message that we will not hesitate to take tough action if a provider fails to meet the standards for care that everyone has the right to expect.”

Among the concerns CQC had were that people were not always supported in line with their assessed needs. For example, inspectors noticed that staff regularly ignored people who were calling out for help, and a number of people with challenging behaviours who required regular observation were often left unattended.

CQC, along with other external agencies, found serious concerns in relation to the management of medicines at the service.

CQC's pharmacist advisor found a number of concerns, including residents going without prescribed medications for several days, medicines being unaccounted for, and evidence that sleep inducing medicines were used inappropriately.

In addition, information from Nottingham City Council's safeguarding team highlighted allegations of staff using physical restraint on residents at the home.

CQC has been working closely with Nottingham City Council and NHS England, while taking action in relation to St Andrews Lodge. The council and NHS Nottingham Clinical Commissioning Group took the lead to co-ordinate the assessment and relocation of residents, whilst supporting relatives.

Andrea Sutcliffe added: “Our priority is always the safety of people using health and social care services and we would not take this kind of action if we did not feel there was a serious risk to people, their health and wellbeing or that the environment they were in was unsafe.”

Ends

For further information please contact Helen Gildersleeve, regional communications officer, on 0191 233 3379 or the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

Notes to editors:

CQC took action under Section 31 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to vary the condition of the registration of St Andrews Lodge, Basford, Nottinghamshire, which is owned by Methodist Homes, Epworth House, Stuart Street, Derby, Derbyshire, DE1 2EQ.

All CQC’s enforcement action is subject to appeal and the provider now has a 28 day period to challenge the decision.