The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published a report following an inspection at Barton Brook Care Home, in Manchester, in September and October.
This inspection was carried out to follow up on specific concerns which we had received about the service, including staffing, safeguarding, falls management and leadership.
Barton Brook Care Home, run by Ultimate Care Limited, is a home which provides care for up to 120 people. At the time of inspection there were 110 people using the service.
Following this inspection, the service’s overall rating has dropped from requires improvement to inadequate, as have the ratings for being safe and well-led. How effective, caring, and responsive the service is has dropped from good to requires improvement.
The service is now in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people safe and it will be monitored to check sufficient improvements have been made.
Alison Chilton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said:
“When we visited Barton Brook Care Home, it was disappointing to see such a significant shortfall of strong leadership. Since our last inspection, there have been five different managers, which has led to people's care needs not always being met as there was little consistency of leadership. Staff told us they enjoyed working at Barton Brook, however, issues with staffing levels and lack of leadership impacted on the culture, resulting in low morale and staff leaving.
“We found the provider hadn’t ensured risks were managed well, and measures in place to keep people safe weren’t always followed by staff. For example, mobility equipment wasn’t always used, floor and chair sensors weren’t in place and some people weren’t wearing any footwear, putting them at risk of harm, for example from falls.
“We also found that people’s care plans weren’t always being followed. Some people needed support and supervision from staff to remain safe, however, this wasn’t always happening, and had resulted in some incidents of people requiring a hospital visit. When we fed this back to the service, we found care plans weren’t accurate putting people at risk as staff didn’t have the right information to keep them safe.
“The environment we saw people living in, wasn’t always safe for people or suitable for those living with dementia. This included the kitchen area which wasn’t locked. People could burn themselves on the hot water dispenser or consume liquids like washing up liquid if staff weren’t there to supervise them.
“We’ve reported our findings to the provider, and they know what they must address. We will monitor the service to ensure people are receiving safe care. If sufficient progress hasn’t been made, we will not hesitate to take action to ensure people’s safety and wellbeing.”
Inspectors found:
- Staff did not always respond appropriately when physical and verbal altercations occurred between people living at the home
- People were not always supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and staff did not always support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests
- People's bedrooms were not always personalised and some people said they felt unhomely
- There were a number of instances where people's dignity was compromised and staff did not always respond accordingly
- People's care plans contained contradictory details and this posed the risk of staff not having the correct information regarding the care people needed
- Activities and stimulation for people was limited
- People's communication needs were not always met
- Meetings for resident/relatives and staff had not been taking place consistently, although had now been scheduled to take place
- Staff supervisions and appraisals did not always take place consistently
- There had been a failure to ensure compliance with regulations.