'Inadequate' care home placed in special measures

A care home has been placed in special measures following an inspection which rated it as "inadequate" .

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) reviewed Gabriel Court care home in Kettering, Northamptonshire in May and identified issues around the safety of care and treatment, staffing, and management of the service.

The overall rating for Gabriel Court dropped from "requires improvement" to inadequate, with similar downgrades for safety and leadership.

Gabriel Court Care Home said the report was a "disproportionate assessment" and that "significant progress" had since been made.

Despite previous conditions imposed to improve safety and care, the report said the home had failed to make sufficient progress.

Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said: "We were concerned to see a lack of strong leadership and a culture that didn't encourage high-quality care."

Ratings for effectiveness, caring, and responsiveness remained at "good," as these areas were not reassessed during the focused inspection.

Inspectors detailed several issues, including unsafe moving and handling practices, inaccurate documentation of falls, and a lack of updated risk assessments.

Mr Howarth added: "Leaders didn't have an effective system to ensure people being admitted to the home had their risks assessed, or care plans created to ensure staff knew how to care for people's individual needs.

"We told leaders they needed to address this as a priority."

A new manager was appointed at the time of the inspection, and the CQC expected them to use the findings to implement "rapid and widespread" improvements.

The CQC said special measures mean the home will be closely monitored, with further regulatory action possible if standards do not improve.

Gabriel Court Care Home said it was now addressing the areas of concern including "establishing enhanced channels for reporting and record-keeping, improved communication systems across our team and introduced regular team meetings and feedback sessions".

A spokesperson said: "We are committed to maintaining transparency and will continue to work with the CQC towards reassessment moving out of inadequate status."

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