Bodmin care home placed in special measures

The site for people with learning disabilities was rated as 'inadequate' by inspectors

Author: Simon McleanPublished 15th Feb 2023

Inspectors have rated a care home for people with learning disabilities in Bodmin as 'inadequate'.

The Care Quality Commission's placed the HF Trust St Teath site in special measures following an inspection in December.

The CQC says the inspection was in part prompted by an incident where a user of the service had died, which is under a separate investigation.

The overall rating has dropped from good to inadequate as has the services ratings for safe, effective responsive and well-led.

Caring remains rated as good.

The service is now in special measures which means it will be kept under review by CQC and re-inspected to check sufficient improvements have been made.

The report's findings included in order to relieve pressure on staff starting work in the morning, night staff at Valley View sometimes got people out of bed as early as 5.30am in order to complete personal care tasks.

In one of the houses everyone received all their medicines mixed with yoghurt to make them easier to swallow - but the practice had not been checked with a pharmacist to ensure the effectiveness of the medicines would not be impacted.

'Disappointing reading'

Debbie Ivanova, CQC’s director for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said:

“The care provided at HF Trust - St Teath Site didn’t reflect the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture as it failed to promote people's independence and choices.

"Risks weren’t being effectively managed to keep people safe and people weren’t being given the opportunity to live their lives as independently as possible.

“The report as a whole makes for disappointing reading and some of the practices are just not acceptable.

"We have told the provider what they need to do to ensure improvements are swiftly put in place and we expect to see good practice embedded when we return.

"At that time, if we are not assured people are receiving the care they deserve, we will not hesitate to take regulatory action to ensure they do.”

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