The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Abbey Lodge Care Home in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, inadequate and placed it in special measures, after finding significant issues regarding the poor quality of its care, leadership and culture.
Following a focused unannounced inspection in January, the care home rating has dropped from being good in all areas to being rated inadequate overall, as well as for being safe and well-led.
Due to the issues found, the service has been placed in special measures, which requires them to make urgent improvements.
Since our inspection, all residents have moved out to alternative accommodation due to the provider being unable to secure insurance.
Abbey Lodge Care Home is a residential care home which provides personal and nursing care, for up to 26 older people, some of which are living with dementia.
Amanda Lyndon, CQC’s head of adult social care inspection, said:
“We carried out an inspection of Abbey Lodge Care Home, due to concerns received about the quality of care, people's safety and its leadership. When we inspected, we found a service that wasn’t being well-led, staff told us they didn’t feel listened to and they were concerned about the poor culture and management at the home. The provider didn’t ensure there was clear guidance for medicines in place and there wasn’t always trained staff available during the night to administer medicines.
“Additionally, there was little evidence of learning from incidents and we weren’t assured the provider’s infection prevention and control policy was up to date. All of these issues need addressing as a matter of urgency.
“During our inspection, we also found people weren’t always supported by trained staff who understood people’s needs. Risk assessments weren’t always up to date or complete, and we were concerned there wasn’t always suitable care plans for people. We saw one person with diabetes had no care plan and staff were not trained to deal with their condition, placing this person at significant risk of harm. We also saw care plans which advised staff to restrain people during periods of distress. This put vulnerable people at risk.
“The provider didn’t always refer people to healthcare professionals appropriately and professionals also raised concerns with us that the provider had consistently failed to identify where people required external healthcare support in a timely way.
When people lost a significant amount of weight, the provider failed to take action and we were concerned to see people weren’t always supported appropriately by staff to safely eat and drink which put them at risk of choking.
“Since our inspection, we are aware that all residents have moved out to alternative accommodation.”
Inspectors found:
- The provider had failed to effectively manage the risk of preventing and controlling the spread of infections.
- The provider had failed to ensure risk assessments were in place which put people at risk of harm.
- The provider failed to have effective oversight of people's nutrition and hydration needs to ensure they received safe support in line with their needs.
- The provider had failed to ensure all potential safeguarding concerns had been referred to the local authority safeguarding team.
- The provider failed to ensure they obtained full employment history from staff prior to their employment.
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Notes to editors
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the CQC’s regulatory role has not changed. CQC’s core purpose of keeping people safe is always driving decisions about when and where we inspect. As the risks from the pandemic change, we are evolving how we regulate services to reflect what we have learnt during this time.
CQC is listening to what people are saying about services to help detect any changes in care. If there is evidence people are at immediate risk of harm, CQC can and will take action to ensure that people are being kept safe.
CQC encourages people to give feedback as part of its 'Because we all care' Campaign, and people can give feedback about their care online.