Brenalwood Care Home, Essex, has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and placed in special measures, following an inspection in June.
The service in Walton-on-the-Naze cares for people over 65, including some who are living with dementia.
It was previously rated good overall, and for all key questions, but the latest inspection was prompted due to concerns shared with CQC about staffing levels, the standard of the premises, infection control and the management of the service.
Following the latest inspection, the care home is now rated inadequate overall and inadequate for being safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led.
CQC has taken action against the service and placed it in special measures. It will be kept under close review, and if significant improvements aren’t made, CQC will take further action, which could include imposing restrictions on its registration or taking steps to prevent the service from operating, if people aren’t safe in its care.
Louise Broddle, CQC head of adult social care inspection, said:
“We carried out an unannounced inspection of Brenalwood Care Home in response to information we received about the standards of care being provided to people. While there, we found a number of issues affecting people’s safety and well-being.
“The premises were unclean and unhygienic, and there weren’t enough staff to safely care for people. There were a high number of unwitnessed falls resulting in injuries to people, which weren’t reported or investigated properly so that similar risks could be minimised in the future.
“It was appalling to hear people being referred to by staff as ‘wanderers, ‘feeders’ and ‘double-ups’. This language is completely unacceptable and doesn’t respect people’s dignity or make them feel like they matter.
“The service has breached a number of regulations and we’ve been clear about the improvements that need to be urgently made. We’ve placed the service in special measures and requested an action plan, which we will check is being carried out.
“We will continue to monitor the service closely and will not hesitate to take further action if we are not assured it is making the necessary improvements to keep people safe.”
The inspection found that there weren’t enough suitably skilled staff to care for people properly and the service was heavily reliant on temporary agency staff, who didn’t always turn up.
People had to wait for personal care, such as accessing the toilet or showering, and one relative told us that their loved one wasn’t always clean. People weren’t given the practical help or support they needed, and inspectors observed one person struggling to eat their meal, as staff hadn’t cut up their food into manageable amounts.
There had been an increase in unexplained injuries and bruising to people, as well as regular altercations between those living at the home, but the service failed to inform the local authority or CQC about these incidents.
Premises were unclean and unhygienic, and dried faeces were found in several areas, including on the headboard of someone’s bed.
Freestanding wardrobes weren’t secured to the walls, presenting a risk of being pulled over, and people were at risk of falling or slipping due to wearing inappropriate footwear, such as ill-fitting slippers or socks on slippery wooden flooring.
People weren’t treated with respect or compassion and staff were dismissive of people’s requests for assistance.
People weren’t actively involved in decisions about their care, which wasn’t delivered in a way that met their needs or reflected their choices and preferences.
The service wasn’t well-led, and staff lacked the leadership and guidance required to deliver high-quality care. Managers didn’t communicate well with staff and were unapproachable at times. We were told that some days there was ‘a lot of shouting’.
However, staff were recruited safely, with Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and other important checks being carried out.
People received their prescribed medicines in a supportive way, and people’s relatives told us it was easy to visit, and they could arrive whenever they wanted.