Lincolnshire care home required to make urgent improvements

Staff at a residential care home have been told to make urgent improvements after it was rated "inadequate" following an inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said residents at York House in Billinghay, Lincolnshire, had not been protected from the risk of abuse.

Inspectors also expressed concern about the risk of infection due to poor prevention and control practices.

York House said it felt "let down" by the CQC's findings and had appealed.

The unannounced inspection took place in January after concerns were raised, the CQC said.

Natalie Reed, CQC head of inspection for adult social care, said they had found a care home that "wasn't well-led".

"The management team failed to ensure systems and processes were in place for staff to provide quality, safe, person-centred care," she said.

Inspectors had found that residents with Covid-19 did not have notices on their doors and were not regularly identified on staff handovers, Ms Reed added.

"Staff were not always aware who had Covid-19, which could have resulted in other people contracting it and becoming ill."

The CQC report also highlighted that PPE was not always worn and there was no "robust cleaning process" in place.

Meanwhile, Ms Reed said it was "worrying" that residents were not always protected from the risk of abuse.

"Staff told us people had become distressed due to alleged abuse at the service. They hadn't reported these concerns to the local authority, so they weren't investigated," she said.

The home, which at the time of the inspection had 16 residents, was aware of the improvements the CQC required to be made, Ms Reed said.

The CQC added that it would not "hesitate to take further action" if necessary.

York House, which is run by LJ Care Homes Ltd, said it felt "let down" by the CQC and said the inspection, based on complaints, was "unfair".

The allegations of abuse reported to the CQC were false and the safeguarding and contracts team had spoken to all residents and did not have any concerns, York House said.

"We have appealed and asked to be reinspected by an independent inspector and for them to inspect the home and not to take into account how the home was previously," a spokesperson said.

They added that the home had been under new management since October 2021 and staff and residents had seen "improvements" since then.

"We have an amazing team. In fact, it is more like a family-run home," the spokesperson said.

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