Halifax care home rated inadequate after CQC inspection highlights safety concerns
The Woodfield Care Home in Greenland has been placed into special measures.
A Halifax care home has been rated inadequate and placed into special measures following after inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) late last year.
The Woodfield Care Home in Greetland, operated by Woodfield Care Home Limited, provides personal and nursing care for up to 36 people, including some with dementia.
The CQC stepped in after concerns were raised over care and safety standards.
As a result, the home’s overall rating has been dropped from good to inadequate.
The 'effective,' 'caring,' and 'responsive' categories were reduced to "requires improvement," while 'well-led' and 'safe' were rated as inadequate.
The home has been placed in special measures, meaning CQC will closely monitor the service to ensure people’s safety while improvements are made.
Victoria Marsden, CQC deputy director of operations, said: “When we inspected Woodfield, it was disappointing to see such a deterioration in the quality of care being provided. Leaders weren’t managing the service well, meaning people weren’t receiving the safe and person-centred care they deserved.
“Leaders didn’t ensure the environment was safe for people to live in, and we had concerns about the security of the building.
"For example, a person living with dementia who lacked capacity had left the building unnoticed by staff on more than one occasion, which placed them at serious risk of harm.
“Our inspectors saw that people’s basic care needs weren’t always met, and staff didn’t complete people’s care plans to include details about their preferences and wishes.
"A relative told us they were concerned about the appearance of their relative, who appeared unkempt due to a lack of staff support with their personal care.
“Whilst we found staff were kind and caring, they weren’t supported by leaders to deliver safe care. Leaders also didn’t ensure staffing levels were sufficient, meaning people often experienced delays in receiving support.
“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, continued improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time. We have begun the process of taking regulatory action in order to protect people further.”
A statement from Woodfield Care Home Ltd said: "The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our highest priority, and our dedicated teams work tirelessly to ensure their needs and comfort always come first."
"Whilst we do not agree with all of the findings of the CQC we are ensuring that the home is fully compliant and residents are being cared for properly.
"Our Quality Managers and operations team have ensured that all residents needs are being met, and the right leadership is there. Both the Local Authority and the ICB have visited the home in the last month and to our understanding are satisfied that residents’ needs are being met properly.
"We have taken multiple positive steps in recent weeks to ensure that the home is achieving the quality of care we all expect and we are committed to working in close collaboration with the local authority ICB and our other valued partners.
"On a broader point it is worth noting that both the regulator and commissioners rightly expect high standards of care, yet there remains no effective mechanism to ensure that local authorities fund services at a level that makes them sustainable.
"This is an issue that we as a group will continue to raise as it is in the interests of the entire social care sector.
"Despite these systemic challenges, our dedicated staff continue to work with compassion and professionalism. We remain fully committed to our residents and their families and we thank them for their patience during this time."