Suffolk care home rated inadequate and placed in special measures
It follows an inspection in January
A Suffolk care home has been rated inadequate and placed into special measures.
The Care Quality Commission says the Swallows Residential Home, which provides support for older people in Haverhill, wasn't being effectively managed and also had issues with food hygiene and fire safety.
It follows an inspection in January, which was prompted by concerns in relation to the security of the building and standards of care at the home.
Following this inspection, the care home’s overall rating dropped from requires improvement to inadequate.
Well-led and safe have also dropped from requires improvement to inadequate. Effective has dropped from good to inadequate. Responsive and caring weren’t inspected during this visit and remain rated 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.
Hazel Roberts, CQC deputy director of operations in the east of England, said:
“When we inspected The Swallows Residential Care Home it was extremely disappointing to see actions we had previously told the provider to make not being put into effect.
“We found that risks weren’t being effectively managed to keep people safe, and in some cases where they had been identified, staff didn’t have the information to reduce risks to people.
“The provider had failed to ensure people were receiving care that met their individual needs. Care plans weren’t consistent, accurate or kept up to date to give staff the instructions they needed to provide person centred care
“When we return, if we aren’t assured people are receiving the care they deserve, we will not hesitate to take further action to ensure they do.”
Inspectors found:
• Staff didn’t have clear guidance on how to support people's needs. Care plans didn’t always provide clear information. For example, one person's care plans had contradictory guidance on their health diagnosis and potential allergies, which risked staff providing unsafe care
• The food management in the kitchen wasn’t always hygienic and despite the Environmental Health Department raising concerns with the provider during a previous inspection, their concerns hadn’t been addressed on their second visit.
• Fire safety checks weren’t routinely completed; records showed the fire alarm system weekly checks hadn’t taken place since September 2022. Inspectors found a fire door didn’t close fully and a folded wheelchair and floral display partially blocked a fire exit which was unsafe and a risk to people living at the service.
• When people refused their medicines or for example, were asleep, records didn’t show staff making later attempts to give them their medicines if still appropriate.
• The provider didn’t manage recruitment processes effectively to ensure that fit and proper persons were employed. This failure placed vulnerable people at risk of receiving care from staff who weren’t of good character.
• The culture at the care home didn’t always respect people's privacy, confidentiality and dignity. Throughout the inspection, care staff discussed people's care needs in the communal areas of the service in front of people.
• The assurances received at a previous inspection regarding staffing increases hadn’t been kept by the provider, who had reverted to previous levels.
In response, the home released a statement saying it's been working to put improvements in place since the inspection in January.
Here's the home's full response:
"Obviously the rating that has evidently been determined by CQC is disappointing, but in the two months since the inspection Mrs Burrows proprietor/manager of The Swallows and the staff have worked very hard together as a team, assisted by the home's professional advisors, to address all the valid issues raised and swiftly restore the service to full compliance with the regulations.
"Mrs Burrows continues to receive positive feedback from the residents about their experience of living at The Swallows and Mrs Burrows is confident that the home is performing well and providing a valuable service to the local community."