Care home put under special measures

The CQC said there had been "serious concerns" about Ryhope Manor Care Home

A care home has been put under special measures after a watchdog found problems with safeguarding, medical records and cleanliness.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) discovered Ryhope Manor Care Home in Sunderland had breached eight regulations, and downgraded it from a good rating to inadequate, as well as issuing it with three warning notices.

CQC official Victoria Marsden said people at the home were not receiving the "high-quality care they should be able to expect".

The care home's director Maurice Dezou said the team was working to fix all the problems identified.

The watchdog's inspection took place in September. It said it was prompted following "serious concerns" reported by "several sources".

Ms Marsden said the care home, which looks after 30 people, had poor leadership which had not put in place effective safeguarding systems to protect people from abuse.

She said care home staff "hadn't always notified" other bodies, such as the police, about safeguarding allegations.

'Rapid improvement needed'

The team also highlighted concerns about how the care home looked after the money which belonged to residents.

"We passed our concerns on to the local authority safeguarding team," she said.

She also said the home was not always clean or well maintained.

"For example, the taps didn't always work, and staff had to carry warm water to some people's rooms," she said.

The CQC also found the home did not provide enough activities to meet people's social and emotional needs.

There were gaps in medicine records which put people at risk of "not receiving their medication as prescribed", said Ms Marsden.

She said the watchdog expected "rapid and widespread improvements" from the care home.

The care home had been put under special measures, which meant it would be closely monitored while improvements were made, the regulator said.