'Disappointing' care home put in special measures

A care home in West Yorkshire has been placed in special measures after inspectors said the way it was run was "totally unacceptable".

Fieldhead Park in Mirfield was rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which said it saw a deterioration in the quality of care provided since its previous inspection in 2017.

The home had 45 residents when it was assessed in March this year, some of whom have dementia, and inspectors said they found they were not having their basic care needs met.

Roche Healthcare Ltd, which runs the home, said they had "taken steps to make immediate improvements" and "remain committed to providing a safe and comfortable home for our service users to live in".

Director Patrick Roche said: "We feel confident that at our next inspection CQC will see the hard work undertaken".

Over the course of four visits by the CQC earlier this year, inspectors found residents had minimal interaction with staff and one was seen crying as they urgently needed the toilet and had been ignored.

Another person was shouting for help from their room and was ignored until the inspector intervened.

Linda Hirst, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: "When we inspected Fieldhead Park, it was disappointing to see such a deterioration in the quality of care being provided.

"Poor leadership and ineffective risk management had led to people receiving inappropriate care in a place they call home.

"This is totally unacceptable.

"It was upsetting to see that people being cared for in their beds received minimal staff interaction throughout their days to aid their wellbeing and prevent loneliness.

"One person told us in the afternoon that we were the first people to have spoken to them that day."

She added that people's dignity was not always maintained, with some people having their catheter bags left on show and another getting dressed while their bedroom door was left open.

Ms Hirst said: "We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid and continued improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time.

"We will return to check on their progress and won't hesitate to use our regulatory powers further if people aren't receiving the care they have a right to expect."

The CQC said following the inspection, the home's overall rating was moved from good to inadequate.

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