The Haynes Clinic in Chicksands, near Shefford, has been given warning notices by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over breaches in safe care and treatment, person-centre care, and governance.
Following an inspection, the clinic has plummeted from a CQC rating of good in 2023 to one of inadequate, which means “people were not safe and were at risk of avoidable harm”, the CQC said.
In a report, the watchdog says: “There were widespread and significant shortfalls in people’s care, support and outcomes.
“The service did not have a proactive and positive culture of safety.
“Admissions processes and risk assessments were not sufficient to determine if the person’s needs could safely be met.
“The environment was not safe, and mitigations to reduce potential ligature risks were not effective.”
The CQC also found that systems and processes were not in place to ensure the safe prescription, storage and administration of medicines.
Meanwhile, it said “people received ineffective care”, highlighting that care plans were generic, rather than reflecting individual, person-centre care.
The report says: “Staff did not always have the information they needed to meet the individual needs and preferences of people.
“People’s information was not routinely shared with GPs and other professionals on discharge.
“Complaints were not always fully investigated.”
The CQC also found that “leaders did not have the knowledge and experience to ensure the quality of clinical care and treatment was delivered safely and effectively”.
It said: “Leaders did not ensure that risks were well managed in the service.
“The service did not have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance structures in place to manage and deliver good quality care, treatment and support.”
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The clinic’s manager Sue Brooker, said: “The Haynes Clinic is a well-established treatment provider with a long-standing reputation for delivering high-quality care and support to our clients.
“While we acknowledge the findings of the latest CQC report, we do not agree with all the conclusions reached and have formally responded to the CQC to address specific points of concern.
“It is important to note that The Haynes Clinic was previously rated good by the CQC, and we continue to uphold the same high standards of care, safety, and governance that have defined our service over many years.
“However, we do have a continued focus on improvement and are therefore addressing all the recommendations that we can that were raised by the CQC.
“We remain proud of the positive outcomes achieved by many of our clients.
“Our priority remains the provision of safe, effective, and compassionate treatment for all clients, and we will continue to work constructively with the CQC to ensure that the highest standards of care are consistently maintained.”