Home put in special measures to protect residents

A care home in Bradford has been put into special measures to protect its residents from harm, a health watchdog has said.

Chestnut Lodge, in Barkerend, was rated "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection on 6 November, according to a report which has just been published.

The home, run by SSC Bradford Limited, provides nursing and personal care for up to 80 people, some of whom are living with dementia.

Linda Hirst, CQC deputy director of operations in the North, said it was "concerning to see poor leadership and a lack of staffing had led to people being placed at risk of harm in a place they call home". SSC Bradford Limited has been approached for comment.

According to their report, CQC Inspectors found that concerns had been expressed about safety at the home, leaders did not always report safeguarding concerns appropriately and people were not always able to participate in appropriate activities that were meaningful to them or to regularly access outdoor space.

Meanwhile, residents' medicines were not managed safely, not everyone had access to a call bell, while some call bells were broken, and people did not always have their needs met in a timely manner, inspectors said.

The inspection, the first to be undertaken by the watchdog under a new provider for the home, took place in response to ongoing concerns over people's care and treatment, as well as the management of safety at the site, the CQC said.

Ms Hirst said it was "unacceptable that people had experienced harm from other people" at the home.

"When altercations took place, no actions were taken to support people or prevent similar incidents happening again."

Meanwhile, staff "weren't meeting people's basic needs because they didn't have time to read their care plans", Ms Hirst said.

"We also found staff weren't managing other risks to people due to time pressures including monitoring pressure damage, choking, weight monitoring and falls."

An example highlighted in the CQC report was that a patient who smoked also used a paraffin-based body cream which was flammable if a lighter came into contact with their skin - but this had not been highlighted as a risk.

There was also no guidance in place to support a person at risk of malnourishment, inspectors said.

Following the inspection, the overall rating for the home, as well as its ratings for being safe and well-led, were downgraded from "good" to "inadequate", the CQC said.

Meanwhile, the home's ratings for being caring, responsive and effective were downgraded from "good" to "requires improvement".

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