The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated The Ridings Care Home, Birmingham inadequate and placed it into special measures to protect people, following an inspection, in October.
This unannounced inspection was prompted by a review of information CQC held about this service.
The Ridings Care Home, run by Dukeries Healthcare Limited, provides accommodation and care for up to 83 people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, there were 79 people using the service.
Following this inspection, the service’s overall rating has dropped from good to inadequate, as have the ratings for being safe, caring and well-led. The ratings for being effective and responsive have dropped from good to requires improvement.
The service is now in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people safe and it will be monitored to check sufficient improvements have been made.
Following the inspection, CQC suspended the home’s ratings which can been done when investigating information of concern. This ensures that people looking for information about an organisation, can be confident that ratings are an up to date, accurate reflection of the care being provided. This suspension will end now that the report has been published and there are up to date ratings.
Amanda Lyndon, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said:
“When we visited The Ridings Care Home, it was disappointing to see such a significant shortfall of strong leadership. We found leaders hadn’t implemented effective systems and processes to enable staff to deliver high-quality care for people using the service.
“We were concerned about the safety of the environment as we saw fire doors were propped open by staff and hazards were accessible to people, such as broken equipment, chemicals and medical equipment which could put them at risk of harm. We also saw issues such as unclean bathrooms and people's clothing stored in dining rooms, all increasing the risk of infections spreading.
"There was a worrying lack of privacy and dignity for people who called The Ridings home. We saw someone who was clearly embarrassed when staff asked if they needed the toilet in front of others, and people told us staff members didn’t always shut the door when they were being washed or supported to use the bathroom. On one occasion, when staff were made aware of this, they rejected the suggestion to shut the door and said they wouldn’t be told what to do.
“We found some people were at risk of becoming socially isolated because they weren’t always supported to follow their interests or take part in social activities. For example, some people were excluded from enjoying entertainment at the home or accessing the community because they were overlooked by staff. We also saw some people spent long periods alone, without engaging with others, with one person only engaging in one activity for the last three months. One person hadn’t engaged in any activities, other than a monthly entertainer, for the last three months.
“This poor care is unacceptable, and following the inspection we informed the provider that they needed to make significant improvements. We will continue to monitor the service closely, to check on the progress of those improvements, so we can be sure people using the service receive the care they have a right to expect.”
Inspectors found:
- There were not robust systems in place for learning lessons and driving improvements with regards to safeguarding people from abuse
- Policies and systems did not enable people to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests
- People's autonomy, independence and choices were not upheld
- People's preferences and person-centred needs were not always fully considered and met
- Quality assurance systems were not always effective for people. This meant the action taken by the provider had not always ensured people received consistent, caring and safe support
- People did not always experience a positive and empowering culture.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the next few days.