Rutland care home put into special measures after 'inadequate' rating
Inspectors found human waste in resident's rooms
A Rutland care home as been criticised and put into special measures by inspectors for a litany of failures.
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission who visited Belton House Retirement Home found human waste left in residents’ rooms – and were forced to intervene on when a resident began to undress in communal areas in front of other people.
The also said the home smelled, that the grounds were strewn with discarded furniture, debris and weeds, that medicines were not being given safely and one resident was given medicine which had been dropped on the floor.
The home has now been rated inadequate for being unsafe, poorly led and ineffective and placed in special measures.
Operator, Kross Investments Limited, will face proceedings to stop it running the home unless it makes sufficient improvements when it is reinspected in six months.
A spokesman for the home near Uppingham said it had already made significant improvements to address inspectors’ concerns.
A report published by inspectors following their visit said it found people were not safe.
Inspectors also had to intervene on several occasions when a resident began to undress in communal areas in front of other people and again when another became increasingly distressed without staff stepping in to support them.
The family of a resident said while they felt their relative was safe, they were left ‘unsettled’ when a male resident walked unsupervised into their room.
Another family said they saw someone fall backwards and hit their head on a wall, but “staff didn’t seem at all concerned and had a negative attitude.”
While some said communication was good, others felt the home did not involve families enough. “Name has a care plan,” one relative said. “We have had no choice or say in the care plan. I would just like to be listened to.”
Inspectors also found staff had failed to spot one person’s bed was soiled with bodily fluids when they made the bed and another’s bedroom floor was soiled.
The premises were also reported as being dusty and unclean, and discarded personal protective equipment (PPE) was discovered on the floor of the laundry room, leading to a risk of cross contamination.
Some parts of the home also smelled.
While the home has “extensive” grounds, people rarely had access to them and instead used a fenced and paved courtyard.
The watchdog found this was overgrown with weeds, containing discarded furniture and debris and was uninviting and lacked any planting or landscaping.
Medications were also not managed safely. Inspectors having watched a staff member give medicine to a resident after dropping it on the floor.
Fridges storing medicine was also not kept at the right temperature, meaning they might not be fully effective, and one treatment was found to be out of date.
Staff were not up to date with their training, with only one member having completed ‘challenging behaviour’ training, none were up to date with mental health training and only six with dementia training.
“People were at immediate risk of harm as staff did not have the skills and knowledge required to keep them, and others, safe,” inspectors said.
Agency staff were used to fill rota gaps, but they also did not have the relevant training to ensure they could support people effectively when they presented a risk to themselves or others.
Inspectors also saw three members of staff who were unable to converse easily in English with inspectors or people and often reverted back to their first languages. “This presented a risk that people’s needs would not be met through poor staff understanding and communication,” the CQC said.
A spokesperson for the home said: “As a provider, we are working closely with the CQC and Rutland County Council to address concerns identified and are committed to providing safe and effective care to our residents.
“In response to concerns, we have already made significant progress working through Action Plans which support the improvement of the service.
“Investment has been made into additional external support being provided for the new, experienced manager.
“As a provider, we are not only committed to continuous improvement of high quality care and support but to our dedicated staff team.”