Northamptonshire care home found 'inadequate' after unannounced inspection prompted by resident’s death

Care provider Methodist Homes has pledged to bring a Rushden care home up to standard following a critical report by regulators, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC has rated Rushden Park care home in Melloway Road, Rushden as ‘inadequate’ following an unannounced inspection in early February and placed it in special measures.

Concerns were raised about the 65-place home after an investigation was launched when a resident in his 80s died at Rushden Park Care Home on January 27.

Following the inspection, the home’s overall rating dropped from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘inadequate’ – the ratings for safe, effective, responsive and well-led, declined to ‘inadequate’ with the rating for caring dropping from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’.

Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: “When we inspected Rushden Park, it was concerning that the care being delivered, wasn’t of the standard that people should expect to receive.

“Inspectors found leaders had no effective oversight and monitoring of the service which had resulted in poor outcomes for people. Also, complaints made by people and their relatives weren't always responded to and investigated in a timely manner.

“We found people weren’t always protected from risks associated with their health conditions.

"For example, people's care plans didn't include details regarding how many days of no bowel movements should be a concern.

"It was worrying that one person had no bowel movement for eight days and there was no evidence the GP had been contacted for advice which could have put the person at risk.

"There was no plan or risk assessment in place for someone who required support to manage their diabetes.

"This meant staff didn’t know what action to take if the person’s sugar levels were too high or low, which could put them at risk of harm.

“Additionally, one-to-one care was not always provided for people where they needed it for their safety. We received mixed feedback from people and their relative’s concerning the leadership and culture of the service including attitude of the staff.

"We heard from staff that they didn’t feel listened to when they raised concerns.

“Following our inspection, we reported our findings to the provider, so they know the areas where we expect to see rapid improvement. They have submitted an action plan.

"If sufficient progress has not been made, we’ll not hesitate to take further action to ensure people’s safety and well-being.”

At the time of the inspection, Rushden Park was providing nursing and personal care to 58 people.

The incident that led to the inspection prompted the CQC to look at management of risk, staffing levels and management oversight.

The inspectors found:

– Residents were not always supported by enough staff to ‘meet their needs’ with not always enough of them on shift impacting care including supporting elderly residents with their food and drinks

– Residents were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff did not support them in the ‘least restrictive way possible’ and in their best interests

– Not all staff had received training to ensure they had the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the people they supported

– Residents experienced ‘task-led’ rather than person-centred care which resulted in their dignity not being promoted or protected, and they were not always supported to maintain their independence and have the opportunity to take part in activities and access the local community

– Staff had access to people's care plans and risk assessments but, it was unclear if these were read, understood, and followed by staff

Methodist Homes’ chief operating officer Dan Ryan said: “We are bitterly disappointed that the standards at Rushden Park were not meeting the high levels we expect from our homes.

"Sadly, 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.

“The care provided at the home was certainly not reflective of MHA’s other homes, as we have one of the highest inspection ratings in the sector, with 90 per cent of our homes rated as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’. Our last ‘inadequate’ rating was five years ago.

“We have agreed with CQC a robust action plan which addresses all the issues raised by them.

"Additional management is in place in the home to support the staff team, along with specialist and clinical roles from our head office, to make sure the home is brought back up to the standards we expect of all our care homes.”

Rushden Park Care Home is now in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by CQC.

An investigation by the CQC will determine if any further ‘regulatory action’ should be taken.

The CQC inspection said: “This means we will keep the service under review and, if we do not propose to cancel the provider's registration, we will re-inspect within six months to check for significant improvements.

“If the provider has not made enough improvement within this timeframe and there is still a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall rating, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures.

"This will mean we will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service. This will usually lead to cancellation of their registration or to varying the conditions the registration.

Read the inspection for Rushden Park on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.