The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Laurieston Care Home for the Elderly in Cleveland inadequate and placed it in special measures, after finding significant issues regarding the quality of its care, governance and staffing.
Following a focused unannounced inspection in December and January, the overall care home rating has dropped from being good to inadequate. How safe and well-led the care home is, has also dropped from good to inadequate. How effective, caring and responsive the home is remains rated as good as these areas were not included in this inspection.
Due to the issues found in this latest inspection, the service has been placed in special measures and the CQC has told the provider that it must make improvements.
Laurieston Care Home for the Elderly, in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 16 people aged 65 and over.
Alison Chilton, CQC’s head of adult social care inspection, said:
“We carried out an inspection of Laurieston Care Home for the Elderly, due to concerns received about how people were being treated. We found a service that wasn’t being well-led, and several staff didn’t feel listened to, respected or supported. These issues need addressing as a matter of urgency to improve the culture in the organisation.
“During our visit we found that people weren’t always safe, and the provider didn’t always notify CQC about incidents which had occurred. During our inspection, we were made aware of incidents which had taken place. We immediately notified the local authority so they could take any necessary action to protect people. Also, the provider didn’t always make appropriate referrals to health professionals when people needed further assessments and support.
“We were concerned that people’s care plans weren’t always complete, and where risks were identified, they were not always managed. One person suffered a serious choking incident, and we were told there hadn’t been a known risk, however, their care plan stated that choking was a risk. There was no evidence of learning from incidents like this.
“This home needs to be run better by leaders. Managers failed to be aware, or understand, up to date guidance and best practice for infection prevention and control as well as medicine management. Additionally, the provider didn’t always ensure there were enough skilled staff on duty to meet people’s needs.
“Now the provider understands where improvements must be made, we will continue to monitor Laurieston Care Home for the Elderly closely, to ensure people are safe. If we are not assured people are receiving safe care, we will not hesitate to take further action.”
Inspectors found:
- this provider failed to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm
- risks to people were not always safely identified, assessed, and managed
- there were significant gaps in people’s care plans
- medicines were not properly and safely managed
- the provider failed to learn and make improvements when things went wrong
- safety concerns were not consistently identified or addressed quickly enough
- there were insufficient suitably trained staff
- the provider did not always follow or meet national guidance for infection prevention and control
- complaints were not handled seriously.
Full details of the inspection are given in the report published on our website.
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