The care home has been placed into special measures by the regulator after a damning inspection report
The Aldercar Residential Care Home in Wood Lane, Hucknall(Image: Joseph Raynor/Nottingham Post)
A Nottinghamshire care home has been placed into special measures after inspectors found residents were exposed to risk and one was “told off” for pressing their buzzer for assistance too often.
Incidents at the care home not being recorded and patients being placed at risk of contact with raw meat were among a range of issues found by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors.
The CQC has now placed Hucknall’s Aldercar Residential Care Home into special measures and has also started to take some regulatory action against the service as a result.
Managers at the care home say there has already been “significant work” to improve since the May 2026 inspection and this will continue to be monitored by the CQC, which tends to re-inspect services placed in special measures within six months.
The home, run by Ania Limited, has capacity to care for up to 28 people and 19 people lived there during the CQC inspection – some of whom had dementia and mental health needs.
Greg Rielly, the CQC’s deputy director of adult social care in the East Midlands, said: “People had mixed experiences of care. Some told us staff were kind and compassionate, but others said staff provided care to them rather than with them.
“One person said staff were under so much pressure that asking for a cup of hot water might go unanswered. Another told us staff had told them off for using their buzzer too often at night, which isn’t the standard of care people should expect.
“We also had serious concerns about how safeguarding concerns were managed and found the home didn’t always assess people properly before they moved in, meaning staff couldn’t be confident they could safely meet people’s needs.”
Safety issues raised in the CQC’s report included taps and radiators presenting a scalding risk and fridges being unlocked and leaving patients at risk of infection due to the presence of raw meat.
The report says staff were not always trained and the CQC identified five breaches of regulation during its May inspection, with the care home rated inadequate overall.
If insufficient improvements are found when the CQC re-inspects the service, the regulator can take steps including the cancellation of the provider’s registration.
In the meantime, the CQC has already started the process of taking regulatory action to bring about improvement and the regulator says this action can include imposing conditions on a provider’s registration.
Mr Rielly added: “We did find a new management team was already working to turn things around. Staff told us morale had improved and they felt more comfortable speaking up.
“Healthcare professionals also spoke positively about their relationship with the service. However, these improvements clearly needed more time to embed to ensure people received the care they deserved.
“We have told leaders and staff at Aldercar Residential Care Home where improvements must be made. We will keep the service under close review to ensure people receive safe care while this happens.”
A statement from the Aldercar Residential Home said staff acknowledged its service “did not meet the standards expected” in several areas and recognised the “seriousness” of the CQC’s findings.
The care home said: “We would like to reassure residents, relatives, professionals and the wider community that significant work has already commenced since the inspection to address the concerns identified through an internal improvement program.
“The service is also working closely with the local authority quality teams and independent care consultants to support and sustain further improvements.
“Importantly, throughout this period our priority has remained the wellbeing, dignity and safety of the people who live at Aldercar Residential Care Home.
“We are grateful for the continued support of our residents, families, staff team and partner organisations as we continue this improvement journey.”