'Inadequate' care home closed to new residents

Olive Row Care Home had 40 residents when it was inspected in March

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has taken action to stop a care home it rated as inadequate accepting any new residents.

The CQC said Olive Row Care Home in Kettering, Northamptonshire, was badly managed and provided poor care.

The building was previously known as the Temple Court Care Home. Nineteen of its residents died during the Covid outbreak and the then-owners were ordered to pay more than £200,000.

The company that runs the Olive Row home, which has 40 residents, said it had "taken prompt action to address matters raised".

Olive Row was assessed as "good" after an inspection a year ago, but inspectors who visited in March and April this year found "several concerns with the quality and safety of people's care".

The inspectors reported that one resident told them: "When I ask to go to the toilet, staff tell me 'you can do what you need to do in the bed'."

Inspectors said staff were ignoring people in distress at Olive Row Care Home

The inspectors also said they observed staff ignoring people who were in distress, and some residents were not receiving their medicines consistently.

A relative of a resident said he told staff his relative was unwell, but they did not respond. He was later found to have a water infection.

The CQC said people at the home experienced "signs of dehydration, hunger, sore skin and constipation".

One person who needed a low sugar diet was regularly given sugary foods by staff.

Inspectors said giving medication at the home was not consistent

The CQC said it had "imposed urgent conditions to stop any new admissions at the service, as it believed people were at the risk of harm".

"If CQC doesn’t see rapid and widespread improvements, further action will be taken," it added.

Noma Johwa, compliance manager of the home's owner Northamptonshire Care Homes, said: "We are disappointed with the initial findings by the CQC following the latest inspection which took place in March 2024.

"We are taking this matter very seriously and have taken prompt action to address matters raised.

"The health, safety and welfare of our residents is our utmost priority. We are committed to restoring trust and confidence in our care home."

The building on Albert Street was previously occupied by Temple Court Care Home

When the building was Temple Court Care, it was closed in 2020 after inspectors raised serious concerns.

Its owners, Amicura, were ordered to pay more than £200,000 after patients were "catastrophically let down".

Until 2017, the site was occupied by Dove Court Care Home which also closed after being rated as inadequate.