Redruth care home rated inadequate and placed in special measures

A residential care home in Redruth, Cornwall, has been downgraded by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from good to inadequate.

Garsewednack Residential Home, which provides care for up to 21 older people, including those with dementia, has been placed in special measures following an inspection in September.

Inspectors visited the home after receiving concerns about staffing levels and unmet care needs. They found the service in breach of six regulations covering consent, dignity and respect, safe care and treatment, recruitment standards, and management oversight.

Due to the serious issues identified, CQC issued four warning notices to the service and another four to the registered manager. These required urgent improvements in areas such as safe care provision, overall management, maintaining dignity and respect, and delivering care in clean and safe conditions.

Ratings for the home's safety, effectiveness, and leadership were downgraded to inadequate, while caring and responsiveness were reduced to requires improvement.

Placing the service into special measures means CQC will closely monitor progress to ensure residents’ safety while changes are implemented.

Concerns about safety and care

CQC deputy director of adult social care in Cornwall, Stefan Kallee, said poor leadership had created an unsafe environment and placed people at risk.

“When we inspected Garsewednack Residential Home, we saw that poor leadership had created an unsafe environment, putting people at risk of harm and neglect.

“We identified several examples where people were placed at risk of harm. For example, staff weren’t following one person’s medical guidance from a health professional, which put them at risk of choking and of inhaling food or fluids into their lungs. We also saw most first-floor windows lacked tamper-proof restrictors, exposing people to the risk of falling from height.

“In addition, the home didn’t always recruit staff safely or in line with their own policy. Leaders weren’t always doing the required background checks for new staff, which increased the risk to people living in the home of being cared for by unsuitable staff.”

Inspectors found leadership issues also impacted staff morale, leading to poor hygiene and environments that were unfit for residents.

“Staff told us morale was low, and they often struggled to do their jobs properly due to staff shortages and limited support from management. As a result, parts of the home were cluttered, unclean, and had a strong smell of urine, which is unacceptable for a place people call home,” Kallee said.

Issues with dignity and basic care

While staff interactions were at times kind, inspectors noted concerning examples where dignity fell short.

“We also witnessed situations where people’s dignity was disregarded. For example, we saw a staff member supporting someone with their continence needs in a communal lounge, which did not promote dignity or respect,” Kallee said.

Significant gaps were also noted in monitoring basic needs, with residents at risk of dehydration and weight loss.

“We found significant gaps in how the home monitored food and fluid intake, placing people at risk of dehydration or weight loss. In one instance, there was a 16-hour gap between recorded drinks for one person living there," Kallee added.

Additional findings

Other issues flagged during the inspection included:

• Medication management failing to meet safety standards
• Staff not knowing residents’ allergies, excluding key information from care plans
• Management of residents’ finances without proper records
• A set bathing rota preventing daily showers or baths for residents
• Care plan omissions, leaving residents and relatives uninformed

CQC said the home’s leaders have been told what immediate measures must be undertaken to improve and will be closely monitored to ensure residents are safeguarded during the process.

Response from the care home

In response to the findings, Garsewednack Residential Home said: "Following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report release from an inspection in September our rating has been downgraded.

"Whilst the inspection report identifies areas of improvement and failings, many of the issues highlighted had already been identified by the team and work was already underway to address those prior to inspection.

"Since the inspection in September, we have actively taken further steps to strengthen our care and support within the home, including further staff training, procedure updates, investment infacility equipment and regular auditing procedures, to ensure continued quality of care to our residents.

"We are disappointed with the outcome of the inspection which has affected our long standing grading of ‘Good’, we consistently receive positive feedback from residents and families, and staff remain committed to delivering compassionate, person centered care.

"Our priority is always the health, dignity and happiness of our residents."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.