Care Quality Commission takes action to protect people at Essex care home
Quenby Rest Home in Colchester's judged "inadequate"
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated a care home in Colchester, Essex inadequate and placed it in special measures to protect people following an inspection that finished in April.
Quenby Rest Home, run by Mr Ajvinder Sandhu and Mrs Rajwinder Sandhu, is a residential care home that provides support to older people, including those living with dementia, and/or mental health needs.
This inspection was carried out in part due to an incident regarding the safety of a resident.
There were 21 people using the service during the inspection.
Quenby Rest Home, previously rated as good, has been rated as inadequate overall.
CQC found three breaches of regulation related to safe care and treatment of residents, staffing and governance.
The commissioner issued the home with warning notices to focus their attention on making rapid and widespread improvements in these areas.
The service has been placed in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people living in the home safe while improvements are made.
Inspectors found:
- Leaders didn’t support staff to protect people from avoidable harm. People didn’t live in a safe, clean or well-maintained environment, and some weren't protected from risks related to choking and moving.
- Staff didn’t have the right skills or training to support people living with dementia safely. Staff lacked understanding of how to communicate with or support people whose cognitive abilities were changing, meaning those people were at risk of being misunderstood or unsupported.
- Staff also didn’t update care plans to support the needs of people with long-term conditions such as dementia, diabetes or epilepsy.
- The home didn't properly investigate, record or follow up concerns. This placed people at risk of abuse and neglect. Managers didn't work effectively with the local authority safeguarding team.
- Processes were not in place to ensure the safety and continuity of people’s care where they moved between services.
- The registered manager was not visible or leading by example. Staff told inspectors they didn't feel encouraged or supported to speak up about issues, if they did, they felt their concerns weren’t always listened to.
Although some people and their relatives said they were generally happy with the care provided, inspectors found that the home didn't consistently provide personalised, dignified or safe care to people.
The home began working with an external consultant following the inspection and has worked with CQC and local health partners to make immediate improvements.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the next few days.