Care home rated Inadequate following CQC inspection

The Willows Care Home, a residential facility for older adults, has been downgraded from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after a recent inspection.

This evaluation, conducted in March, has triggered by safety concerns reported by residents and their families. At the time, The Willows housed 57 residents.

According to the reports, issues were raised around staff shortages, the basic needs of residents not being met, and unsafe management practices.

The CQC has now issued three warning notices to The Willows, demanding urgent improvements in safety, staffing, and management. Concurrently, Suffolk County Council has suspended new admissions to the home until significant improvements are made.

Hazel Roberts, CQC Deputy Director of Operations said:

“We were very concerned to find people’s needs and preferences weren’t being met safely at The Willows. We found there weren’t enough staff, the home wasn’t acting to reduce risks, and people’s individual needs were frequently overlooked.

“We’ve shared our findings with management at The Willows and told them where we expect to see immediate improvements. We’ll continue to monitor the home very closely to ensure people are safe in the meantime and won’t hesitate to take further action if improvements are not made quickly.”

Following the inspection, the overall rating dropped from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’. Meanwhile, the safety and leadership categories also received an ‘inadequate’ rating. The ‘effectiveness’, ‘caring’, and ‘responsiveness’ categories were also downgraded from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’.

Major issues identified:

1. Staffing and Safety: The inspection uncovered a significant shortage of staff, leading to unmet needs and preferences of residents. Basic personal care tasks, such as bathing and brushing teeth, were often neglected due to insufficient staff and inadequate training.
2. Incident Management: Safety incidents were not consistently recorded or addressed. Inspectors witnessed an altercation between two residents that was not managed appropriately, highlighting serious lapses in safety protocols.
3. Management Oversight: The leadership at The Willows was found to be largely unaware of many visible issues, indicating poor oversight and management.
4. Care Quality: Residents’ care records were outdated and incomplete, causing staff to lack crucial information on how to manage individual needs and risks effectively.
5. Consent and Choice: Staff did not always seek consent from residents before providing care, risking infringement on their human rights. Additionally, residents were not supported to make as many choices as possible regarding their care.
6. Resident Engagement: There were limited activities or hobbies available for residents, and staff lacked time to engage with them meaningfully.
7. Staff Culture: Reports of bullying and poor support for staff were prevalent, contributing to a negative and unsupportive work environment.

8. Residents provided mixed feedback about the service, with many expressing concerns about safety and slow response times from staff.
9. Care records were found to be of poor quality and not always updated.
10. Concerns raised by residents, their families, and staff were not consistently logged or addressed.
11. The home has had six registered managers since 2018, reflecting instability in leadership.

The CQC will maintain close oversight of The Willows to ensure the required improvements are implemented swiftly, ensuring the safety and well-being of its residents.

Further reading

Care home negligence claims – Oakwood Solicitors

WHAT TO DO NEXT

Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.