'Inadequate' care home placed in special measures

Braywood Gardens, run by Runwood Homes, provides support and care to older people, some of whom live with dementia

A care home has been placed in special measures after inspectors had to intervene to keep residents safe during their visit, a healthcare watchdog said.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said its inspection of Braywood Gardens, in Carlton, Nottingham, was prompted partly by concerns over people’s care and safety.

Inspectors rated the care home as inadequate, adding its residents felt they "were not always kept safe" and risks "were not always well managed".

A spokesperson for the care home said an "immediate and robust" action plan was put in place following the inspection.

The service in Millbrook Drive, which provided care and accommodation for 88 people at the time of the inspection, would no longer admit new patients without the CQC's permission.

In its report, the watchdog said a number of breaches of regulations were found during the inspection, including concerns over care and treatment, consent, staffing, governance and dignity.

Inspectors said they saw residents being at "risk of neglect" due to a lack of staff, and their health needs not being appropriately supported.

'Granny fights'

The CQC said an inspector had to step in to keep a resident safe, as staff were not around to help someone in urgent need.

Medicines were not always managed safely, the watchdog said, and staff did not always have clear guidance on when to administer them.

Residents told inspectors they did not feel listened to, with one member of staff describing an incident as people having “granny fights, where they fight with their zimmer frames".

The report added there was poor record keeping by staff at the care home when an incident had occurred.

Inspectors found staff did not respond in a timely way, meaning one resident -capable of using the toilet with help - used an incontinence pad anyway.

“They pad us because it suits them and is less work," the resident told inspectors.

Greg Reilly, CQC deputy director of operations in the region, said the inspection found a lack of "strong leadership" at the care home.

“The main issue was that leaders didn’t ensure there were enough staff to support the people living at the home which impacted the quality of care people were receiving," he said.

“For example, we saw one person try to stand but was unsteady on their feet. As there wasn’t any staff around to help, our inspector had to help them to sit back down, or they would have likely fallen over. When we brought this up with staff, they said they were too busy to help."

Mr Reilly said the care home would be monitored closely to keep people safe while improvements were made.

The care home was previously rated as "requires improvement" in October last year, which was a downgrade from two previous inspections, when it received a "good" overall rating.

A spokesperson for Braywood Gardens said the CQC's findings were also identified by the provider, and a managerial change had since been made.

They added: "We are actively encouraging a return inspection visit from CQC where we expect the service to return to an overall 'good' rating.

"We take on board all findings raised by CQC and have worked tirelessly to instantly put these areas right. We are pleased to say the home is now in a very good position with exceptional leadership and staff."