'Inadequate' care home put in special measures

There are 40 residents at Mayfield House according to its most recent inspection report

A care home has been downgraded from "requires improvement" to "inadequate" following an inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said Mayfield House in Crewe, Cheshire, had been placed in special measures as a result.

The home, run by Littleton Holdings Limited, provided support for up to 51 older people, including those living with dementia, the CQC said. There we 40 residents at the time of the inspection.

The BBC has approached the company for a response.

Inspectors said they carried out the review following notification of a serious incident in which a care home resident suffered a significant injury.

The inspection did not look into the circumstances of that incident, which was under further investigation by the CQC, but it did assess concerns about the management and risk of falls among people leaving the premises without staff knowledge.

The CQC said the home was previously found to be in breach of regulations relating to safe care and treatment and good management.

Inspectors said improvements had not been made since their previous visit and that the home was still in breach of those and other regulations.

The home's ratings for "safe and effective" declined from requires improvement to inadequate. "Responsive and well-led" scores were rated requires improvement again, and the "caring" score declined from good to requires improvement.

The CQC said it would closely monitor the home while it remained in special measures.

'Minimal support'

"It was disappointing to see a deterioration in the quality of care being provided since we last inspected," said Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north.

"Ineffective risk management meant people continued to receive unsafe care, which is unacceptable in a place they call home."

She said leaders had not made necessary improvements - for instance no signage to guide people with dementia and a lack of risk assessments.

"Whilst staff were patient and caring, leaders hadn't ensured they were sufficiently skilled to respond to people, especially those living with dementia," Ms Knapton said.

"Some people appeared frustrated and distressed, but we saw minimal support, stimulation or activities offered to support their wellbeing."

She added it was "positive" to hear managers were working with staff to make improvements and that staff were being supported with training and future plans.

"We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, and continued improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time," she said.

Some improvements had been made straight away, and others will be assessed when inspectors return to check progress.