Care home put residents at risk - inspectors

Kingswood House was rated inadequate in its first CQC assessment

A care home which looks after adults with autism and learning disabilities put people at unnecessary risk of harm, according to inspectors.

Kingswood House in Thurcroft, Rotherham, has been rated inadequate in its first Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment following an inspection in October.

The home has been placed in special measures which involves close monitoring to ensure people are safe while improvements are made.

Elysium Healthcare, which runs Kingswood House, expressed disappointment at the rating and said the safety and wellbeing of residents was its "highest priority".

The report by CQC inspectors found leaders at Kingswood House did not have the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively to ensure people received appropriate care.

It reported that residents' needs and risks were not assessed properly meaning they could be placed at risk of unsafe care.

Inspectors said the majority of feedback from residents and relatives was negative with people telling them, "It's like a hospital, the bed is like a prison mattress" and, "I don't like my room, it's not homely."

Relatives reported that one resident who enjoyed producing their own meals had little opportunity to do so and that there was not "the right encouragement from staff."

Inspectors also heard criticism that the food was "horrendous, there's too many carbs, rice and jacket potatoes, things on the menu are not like what young people like to eat".

Victoria Marsden, CQC deputy director of operations in the North, said disorganisation within the staff team often led to people missing important appointments.

She said: "Relatives had repeatedly reminded staff about their loved ones' missed appointments and fed back that when they did attend, the home sometimes forgot to give people important documents they needed to take with them."

In a statement Elysium Healthcare said the service was now under new leadership and had an improvement plan in place which included upgrades to management and recording processes.

A spokesperson said: "We will be working closely with the CQC in the coming weeks and months to evidence these improvements."

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