Rushden Park: 'Inadequate' care home put into special measures

A care home where staff said they did not have enough time to sit with dying residents or to take others to the toilet has been rated inadequate.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Rushden Park, in Rushden, Northamptonshire, in February.

It found it to be inadequate in four of five areas measured and placed the home in special measures.

Methodist Homes (MHA), which runs the home, said it had "let down residents" and was "truly sorry".

As reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a resident's relative told the CQC they reported concerns about care last September but there was no evidence their complaint was recorded.

Inadequate staffing levels meant that some residents who needed one-to-one care were at risk and able to hurt others. In one instance, inspectors saw a resident kick another.

A member of staff said they had to lie to residents that equipment had broken because they had too little time to get them out of bed.

The report said residents' end-of-life care wishes were "not always supported in the way they wanted" at the home. A staff member told inspectors: "We used to be praised for our end-of-life care; not any more. We don't have time to sit with people who are dying."

The care home's safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership were rated as inadequate. Its care was rated as requiring improvement.

MHA's chief operating officer Dan Ryan said: "We have let down residents and the expectations of family and friends of the highest quality care, and for this we are truly sorry.

"As soon as we received feedback from CQC, we made changes to the way the home is managed and operated, as well as implementing a robust and immediate action plan for improvement."

MHA claims to be the largest charity care provider in the UK and looks after about 4,000 people in its care homes.

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