The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has downgraded the rating of Radcliffe Manor House in Nottinghamshire from requires improvement to inadequate and placed the service into special measures following an inspection in June.
The care home, run by a charitable trust, provides personal care for up to 26 people. 24 people lived there at the time of the inspection.
CQC carried out the inspection because it had identified emerging risks through monitoring.
CQC identified three breaches of regulation during this inspection related to person-centred care, safe care and treatment, and management. CQC has told the home to submit an action plan showing what immediate and widespread action it is taking in response to these concerns.
CQC has downgraded the ratings for how safe and well-led the service is from requires improvement to inadequate. How effective and caring the service is have dropped from good to inadequate, while how responsive the service is has dropped from good to requires improvement.
CQC has also placed the home in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review to keep people safe while improvements are made.
Greg Rielly, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said:
“During our inspection of Radcliffe Manor House, we identified several issues that needed urgent attention. We were particularly concerned about how low staffing levels affected the quality of care, as people, their relatives and staff all raised concerns with us.
“While residents told us they generally felt safe living at the home, several people and their relatives were concerned about the staffing levels. Leaders hadn’t put enough staff in place to make sure people received safe care promptly, and during the inspection one person waited 42 minutes after calling for help. Some people told us they felt lonely as staff didn’t have time to spend with them, and there were even fewer staff on weekends meaning limited activities were available to keep people occupied.
“Leaders didn’t make sure that equipment and facilities were safe. Inspectors found they hadn’t secured large and heavy wardrobes to walls, which could tip over and hurt people in their own bedrooms.
“Leaders also hadn’t listened to or acted on all concerns that staff raised. This is important as staff have vital information leaders can learn from and use to improve the service. Leaders at Radcliffe weren’t proactive in investigating or reporting safety concerns and incidents, meaning the relevant authorities couldn’t intervene to ensure people’s safety.
“We have told Radcliffe Manor House where we expect to see significant improvements. We will continue to closely monitor the service to make sure people remain safe while this happens.”
Inspectors found:
Leaders didn’t oversee the care that staff delivered effectively. As they didn’t understand the service, they couldn’t identify opportunities to improve people’s experiences of care.Staff didn’t provide personalised care that respected people’s preferences, due to staffing levels and having to respond to immediate needs.Staff didn’t always keep people’s care records up-to-date, and inspectors found many gaps in daily care records. This put people at risk of harm or meant they might receive care that didn’t meet their needs.Staff didn’t have time to support people to regularly access a bath or shower.Staff didn’t discuss people’s health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them to make sure their care and treatment met their needs.