South Yorkshire care home is rated as Inadequate and placed into special measures by CQC

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Lockermarsh Residential Home in Doncaster, South Yorkshire that it must make improvements to protect the safety and welfare of people living there.

CQC carried out unannounced inspections at the home in October and November last year to follow up on improvements required as a result of their previous inspection in December 2014.

During the latest visit CQC inspectors found that the home, ran by Stephen Oldale and Susan Leigh, was failing to provide care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive or well led and action had been taken to address previously identified shortfalls however, the action taken had not been sustained and further concerns were identified.

Under CQC’s new programme of inspections, all adult social care services are being given a rating to help people choose care. Overall, Lockermarsh Residential Home has been rated as Inadequate and has been placed into special measures.

A full report from the inspection has been published on the CQC website: www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-118344023.

The report identifies a number of areas of concern including:

• The provider had failed to ensure people were safe from potential risks because safeguarding procedures were not being followed.
• There was not always sufficient numbers of staff to make sure the needs of people living at the home could be met in a timely manner.
• We found consent for care and treatment was not always obtained lawfully for people who did not have capacity to give their consent. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves.
• Instruction in people’s care records were not always being followed or updated to reflect people’s changing needs and requirements. Risks to people’s health and welfare were not always being monitored or addressed to ensure their safety.
• Mealtimes were disorganised and were not seen as a positive experience for the people living in the home. Inspectors observed little choice being offered and people were not always supported to ensure they received adequate nutrition and hydration.
• There was a lack of effective systems in place to monitor the quality of service being provided. There was a lack of management and auditing of practice in relation to infection control.

Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North, said:

“We found that the care provided at Lockermarsh Residential Home fell a long way short of what we expect services to provide, it is unacceptable that the provider has failed to ensure people were protected against potential risks and sustain improvements recommended at the previous inspection.

“People are entitled to services which provide safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care and we have told the provider that they must take action as a priority.

“We are in close liaison with Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council to monitor the situation and ensure people living at the home are not at risk.

“Given the shortfall in standards of care, we have placed this service in special measures and made it clear where action must be taken to address the concerns identified.

“If we find that the service being provided remains inadequate, we will consider taking further steps to cancel its registration with CQC."

Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.

Ends

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