A DAMNING new report into a scandal-hit Braintree care home published today (October 1) reveals it still has serious failings in the care of old elderly residents.
The Care Quality Commission's (CQC) 39-page report into their three-day visit to the Old Deanery Care Home in July concluded the home was meeting standards in just one of nine categories.
Inspectors' concerns at the home included:
• People's privacy, dignity and independence were not always respected and people's views and experiences were not always taken into account.
• Before people received any care or treatment they were not always asked for their consent and the provider did not always act in accordance with their wishes.
• Care and treatment was not planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.
• People who use the service were not always protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had not taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.
• There were not enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs.
• People were not always cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard.
• The provider did not have an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive.
• People were not protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were not maintained.
Sue Howard, the CQC's interim chief inspector of adult social care, said: "When our inspectors visited they were concerned at what they found.
"Every care provider has a duty to ensure their services are safe, effective, caring, well led, and responsive to people's needs and this inspection highlighted a number of shortfalls in the service being provided at this home.
"Eight out of the nine regulations our inspectors looked at were not being met and we have warned the provider, Anglia Retirement Homes Limited, and demanded it makes immediate improvements in relation to the care and welfare of people who use services and assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision by 7 October.
"We are working closely with the local authority with regard to the safety and welfare of the people who were living at this service at that time. We continue to monitor the situation with regard to the home and will carry out further unannounced inspections to check on whether the necessary improvements have been made.
"Although our legal processes do not allow us to go in to further detail at this time, we are taking further action with regard to the provider following the findings of our inspection. All CQC's action is subject to appeal.
"As the independent regulator of health and care services in England, we would urge anyone who has concerns about any registered service to contact us immediately".
Over November, an undercover BBC Panorama reporter filmed alleged abuse by employees on dementia suffers that resulted in eight workers being sacked and three being charged for alleged assault.
