'Inadequate' care home fails to make improvements

A care home has been branded inadequate by a watchdog after failing to make improvements demanded during a previous inspection.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found five legal breaches at Mill House in Bilston, West Midlands, and said residents were at risk of harm.

A report following a week-long inspection in March found there were not enough staff to keep people safe and some residents may have been subject to unlawful restrictions.

However it acknowledged the home was clean and residents and their families were happy with the care they received.

Nineteen people were living at Mill House, which can care for up to 24 residents including people with dementia, at the time of the inspection between 7-14 March.

Inspectors raised five legal breaches at the care home including in relation to safeguarding, safe care and treatment, need for consent, staffing and governance.

Of those, four had been raised during the previous inspection in August 2023 but had not been acted upon leading the CQC to criticise "a lack of effective systems to drive learning and improvement at the home".

'Not enough staff'

The CQC's report raised concerns that staffing issues meant people were sometimes restricted in their freedom to move around the building, when they went to bed or when they were washed.

"When someone wished to leave the communal areas, we saw there were no other staff available to support so they had to remain in the lounge," inspectors said.

They also quoted one resident who told them: "I would like a shower every day, but I can’t as there’s not enough staff".

Some medicines were stored unsafely, inspectors said, including insulin in an unlocked cupboard and other treatments stored in an unlocked "hairdresser room".

The report also found issues around equipment, including hoists which "had not been tested to ensure they were in good order and safe to use".

When it came to management, the CQC said there was a "lack of effective leadership", describing the operation as "disorganised".

Inspectors also reported senior managers "did not have an understanding in key areas such as safeguarding" and had failed to report serious issues to the watchdog, which was a legal requirement.

The services continue to be rated as inadequate and the CQC said it was carrying out further reviews at the home.