- Care home
Muscliff Nursing Home
Assessment report published 19 September 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 3 July 2025 to 10 July 2025
Muscliff Nursing Home is registered to provide accommodation for people who require nursing or personal care. The service supported people living with dementia and people with a learning disability. We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance the Care Quality Commission (CQC) follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it. The service can accommodate up to 41 people. At the time of our inspection 33 people were living at the service.
This inspection was prompted by significant concerns about people’s care and whether people were safeguarded from avoidable harm. We had received multiple allegations of abuse, neglect and poor practice within the service. Therefore, this inspection consisted of all the quality statements under each of the 5 key questions to enable us to examine those risks.
We found the provider was in breach of 4 of the legal regulations in relation to; dignity and respect, safeguarding, safe care and treatment, and good governance.
In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations have been concluded.
Safeguarding procedures were not always followed and therefore this placed people at increased risk of harm. Where staff raised concerns to the registered manager these were not always actioned. Staff were not always listened to and felt unable to raise concerns. The providers safeguarding policy had conflicting information and although the service had referred some concerns to the local authority they had not always followed the correct procedures for investigating concerns. This meant there was an increased the risk of harm for people. Actions taken by the service had not been carried out with the required urgency and this had placed people at further risk of harm. The service lacked transparency and had not always informed the CQC of events which had occurred within the service, as required by law.
Risks to people's health, safety and well-being had not always been identified, assessed or managed and this placed people at risk of harm. Care plans and risk assessments did not always include information to guide staff on how to provide care and support. Staff did not support people in the least restrictive way possible or in their best interests; policies and systems did not support best practice.
Staff did not always feel supported, or able to speak up about concerns. Staff were not always deployed in the correct numbers to follow the plan of care or people’s needs. Staffing was inconsistent and lacked oversight. People were not always treated with dignity and respect or offered choices this meant their rights were not respected.
Governance systems were not operating effectively and had failed to identify the shortfalls found within this inspection.
However, during our inspection we observed people received their medicines as prescribed. People’s health and wellbeing were promoted, and they had access to medical care as required. People and their relatives were given the opportunity to give their feedback.
People's experience of this service
While people expressed general satisfaction with their care, our inspection found elements of care did not meet the expected standards.
Comments from people and their relatives included; “Staff talk to me nicely, if I had an issue I can go to any of them”, “The garden is nice, and there are always things to do. We are included in that; it’s not just for my loved one. It was such a worry when my relative was alone at home, they are safe here” and, “Staff are always happy and welcoming. I see the registered manager regularly, I have not had any concerns, but I know if I had any they would certainly be addressed.”