CQC warns Mr D Hall and Mrs J Hall that they must improve the standards of care at Cartref Residential Care Home

The Care Quality Commission has issued six formal warnings to Mr D Hall and Mrs J Hall stating that that they must make immediate improvements at Cartref Residential Care Home in Pontefract, West Yorkshire.

The warnings follow an unannounced visit by inspectors to the home in May 2014, which was carried out as part of CQCs scheduled inspection programme.

Visiting inspectors found that the service was failing to provide care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive or well led; and seven out of the eight national standards assessed by the inspection team were not being met.

A full report has been published on the CQC website.

Although many residents spoke positively about the care they received, inspectors identified a number of concerns. These included:

• People living at the home were not always treated with dignity and respect, and their preferences were not always taken into consideration.
• Care plans were not up to date and were not personalised to guide staff as to people’s individual support needs.
• Suitable safeguarding arrangements were not in place. Training was not effective enough to enable staff to identify and prevent abuse in the first place or to ensure that they responded appropriately when it was suspected.
• People living at the home were given limited choice as to how they spent their time and inspectors found evidence of institutionalised practices.
• People who use the service, staff and visitors were not protected against the risks of unsafe or unsuitable premises because the provider was failing to ensure that maintenance works were carried out in a timely manner.
• There were insufficient numbers of staff on duty to ensure the needs of all residents were fully met and not all staff had received the training required to provide appropriate care and treatment.
• The provider did not have an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people living at the home.

As a result of the inspection, CQC has issued six formal warnings to the provider requiring improvements in relation to respect and involvement of people who use services, care and welfare of people who use services, safeguarding of people who use services from abuse, safety and suitability of premises, staffing and assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.

Deborah Westhead, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North has said:

“We have identified a number of serious failings at this service and we have told the provider very clearly that they must take immediate action to address these concerns.

“People are entitled to services which are safe, effective, caring, well led, and responsive to their needs. It is unacceptable that the provider is failing to meet the basic care needs of people living at the home.

“Since the inspection, we have been working closely with Wakefield Metropolitan District Council to ensure that people’s needs are being properly met and we continue to monitor the situation very carefully.

“We will inspect again in the near future to ensure residents are being given the service they are entitled to expect. If we find that this home is not making enough progress we will consider using our legal powers further to protect the people who live there.”

Ends

For further information please contact CQC Regional Engagement Officer Mark Humphreys on 0191 233 3519. The CQC press office can be contacted on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

For general enquiries, call 03000 61 61 61.