8 September 2011
Lammas Lodge, in Hereford, not meeting six essential standards.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told the owners of Lammas Lodge care home in Hereford, that they must make improvements to comply with the essential standards of quality and safety.
Inspectors have found that the care home, in Lugwardine, Herefordshire, has failed to protect the safety and welfare of its residents.
In a report published today, CQC says that the provider, Parkcare Homes Limited, was not meeting six of the essential standards inspectors looked at.
Providers of care services have a legal responsibility to make sure they are meeting all the essential standards of quality and safety.
The inspection at Lammas Lodge, which provides care for young adults with learning disabilities and needs associated with autism, took place in June 2011 in response to concerns which had been raised anonymously with the commission.
When inspectors visited the home they found the care provided was falling short of standards people should be able to expect and improvements are needed.
Areas of concern can be found below.
Care and welfare of people who use the services
People had been put at risk of not always receiving safe and appropriate care and support that met their needs.
Safeguarding people who use services
Failings in the management of the home had put everyone in the home at risk of abuse.
Staffing
There was a shortage of staff which meant there were not enough people available to meet the complex needs of people using the service.
Assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision
There were shortfalls in areas around incident report record keeping. This meant that the service was not being effectively monitored.
Inspectors also had additional moderate concerns with the areas below.
Management of medicines
There was a lack of guidance over when medicines should be given and not staff had suitable trained in drugs handling.
Supporting staff
Staff were not provided with appropriate support and were not well trained and equipped to meet the very complex needs of the residents
Andrea Gordon, Regional Director of CQC in the West Midlands and East Midlands, said: “The failings at Lammas Lodge are a real concern and improvements need to be made.
“The people who use this service are young vulnerable adults with complex needs and it is unacceptable for them be put at risk by those caring for them.
“The provider needs to ensure that the correct number of staff are available to look after people and that safeguarding issues are always reported to the appropriate agencies.”
“CQC has been working closely with Herefordshire County Council and Wye Valley NHS Trust to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the residents and we have demanded urgent improvements from the provider.
“We will be returning in the near future to check the home’s progress against the action plan it has submitted to us.
“If improvements are not made, we have a range of enforcement powers which can be used, including prosecution, closure, or restriction of services.“
Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.
Ends
The CQC press office is also available 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 report
Read the reports from our checks on standards at Lammas Lodge.