Care home residents at risk of danger - inspectors

North Bay House's CQC rating has dropped from good to inadequate after a recent inspection

A care home where people were at risk of harm or danger has been rated inadequate by a watchdog.

North Bay House in Oulton Broad near Lowestoft was visited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August for assessment.

It was previously rated as good in 2018 but inspectors this time found there were serious issues around people's safety and the management of the service.

Hazel Roberts, CQC deputy director of operations in the East of England, said it would continue to monitor the situation, while a spokesperson for the care home said it was "surprised and deeply concerned" by the findings.

In a report, inspectors said care home "did not have a proactive and positive culture of safety".

"They did not listen to concerns about safety and did not investigate or report safety events," they said.

This included an incident where a person had fallen down the stairs and another where a person choked, but no reviews were carried out.

Inspectors also witnessed one person hitting another, which they had done previously to another resident causing a nose bleed.

The person was observed alone with no staff meaning further incidents could happen, the report concluded.

North Bay House is on Barrow Road in Oulton Broad

In other incidents items such as bleach tablets, toilet cleaners, toiletries and drink thickeners were easily accessible to residents which "placed people at risk of serious harm, which could be fatal".

Inspectors were told residents had mixed views on the attitudes of staff and the way they were treated.

Some residents believed staff were "run-ragged" and inspectors also found some people were sat in various areas of the home for long periods "with no activity being offered".

Other concerns raised included cleanliness, the speed at which medicines were distributed, some lack of staff training and how well staff worked with teams and services to support residents.

'Highest priority'

Ms Roberts said inspectors were "concerned to find low staffing had undermined people's care".

"When this caused people harm or put them in danger, leaders didn't always investigate or make changes to protect people in the future," she said.

She added that the report had been shared with the home's management and conditions had been imposed on its registration "to focus their attention on making rapid improvements".

A spokesperson for Suffolk County Council said after the results of the inspection, the home was placed "under immediate suspension" until improvements were made.

"Progress is being made, but the home will remain suspended until we are satisfied that the quality of care meets the required standards," they added.

A spokesperson for the home said the wellbeing of residents had "always been our highest priority" and it remained committed to delivering "the highest standards of care".

"In light of the CQC's findings, we fully acknowledge the need for improvement and have taken decisive steps to address all areas identified within the report," they added.

Steps they said already taken include a new registered manager to lead developments and a "comprehensive action plan" to address concerns.