Care home in special measures over safety concerns

Glenholme cannot admit new or returning residents without the CQC's agreement

A care home has been put into special measures after inspectors found it inadequate across the board, with residents unsafe and staff not properly vetted or trained.

Glenholme accommodates people with autism and learning disabilities in a townhouse in Cromer, Norfolk.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it was in breach of eight legal regulations and placed it in special measures to ensure it made "significant improvements".

Attempts have been made to contact Beacon Care Homes Ltd, which runs Glenholme, for comment.

Inspectors made two unannounced visits in July after concerns were raised about Glenholme, and returned in August, when the home "assured risks we had identified on the previous visits had been mitigated".

The CQC found the people living there - which totalled 16 at the time - were not always safe and protected from harm due to the service's lack of processes and the housing conditions.

Glenholme had a "closed culture" and incidents were not reported and lessons were not learnt, it said.

There was not a safe number of staff to meet people's needs, staff were not trained appropriately, and it failed to check whether new staff were suitable to support people, it added.

Inspectors also found that people's care plans and risk assessments did not reflect the care and support required, with residents at risk of harm due to their health conditions not being monitored.

It said its leadership team had a lack of knowledge and skills, there were "minimal systems and processes" to guide staff and manage their conduct, and any audits were inaccurate, with notifiable safety incidents not reported.

The CQC said Glenholme was in breach of its obligations in: person-centred care; dignity and respect; need for consent; safe care and treatment; safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment; good governance; staffing; fit and proper persons employed.

The special measures status provided a "framework" for enforcement powers and a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of care, the CQC added.

The conditions of registration include not being able to admit new or returning residents without the CQC's agreement and not accommodating anyone who requires personal or nursing care.

Each month, it must send the CQC all care reports and a summary of internal audits and quality checks.