Nunthorpe care home Upsall House closes after second inadequate rating

A care home criticised over safety is closing after receiving another inadequate verdict from a watchdog.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) placed Upsall House, in Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, into special measures after an inspection in November.

Re-inspections in June and July found it was still not safe and people were at risk of avoidable harm.

Upsall House said the "very difficult decision" had been made to move residents to new homes.

Inspectors last year found the home had employed seven workers without criminal background (DBS) checks.

They also said fire safety at the 30-bed home was "very unsafe".

The new report found some action had been taken but staff had still not received fire warden training before it was flagged up again, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

One member of staff had neither recruitment records nor a DBS certificate and other staff did not have appropriate induction, support or training for their roles.

Inspectors said the "quality of the environment had started to impact upon people's dignity".

Rooms which needed to be locked for safety reasons still did not have locks.

Accidents and incidents were recorded but no analysis was carried out to determine any patterns and trends so lessons could be learned, the report said.

It found medicine records were not always accurate and two people had received incorrect doses.

Inspectors did find residents reported receiving good care from "friendly, kind" staff and that there were always enough people on duty.

Infection control measures had improved significantly, they said.

The CQC gave the home near Swans Corner an overall inadequate verdict.

It said the home's owner had voluntarily cancelled its registration, meaning it would close. As a result the CQC did not continue with enforcement action.

Upsall House director Kathryn Stonehouse said the business had been struggling financially and the situation had been made worse by the pandemic.

But the care given in the home had been "second to none" and residents and staff were "heartbroken", she said.

It had been rated good by the CQC for care and effectiveness.

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