Care home residents locked in rooms or kitchen - CQC

The CQC said residents were placed at "an increased risk of harm"

A care home for people with learning difficulties has been placed in special measures after inspectors found residents were locked in their rooms or the kitchen when people in the service were anxious or distressed.

St Albans House in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was rated as inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors said residents were subjected to "physical, environmental and chemical restraint" without "robust processes" in place.

However, the CQC commended the "warmth" and "patience" shown by some staff.

"People were subject to environmental restraint and the deprivation of their liberty without robust processes and procedures to support this practice," read the CQC report.

"We reviewed records which showed people were locked in their rooms or the communal kitchen area when a person in the service was showing signs of anxiety or distress.

"This placed people at an increased risk of harm."

Inspectors said some people were locked in their rooms while showing signs of anxiety or distress (stock photo)

The care home says it caters for adults with moderate learning difficulties, mental health needs and complex needs such as epilepsy.

Inspectors said the home was at full capacity with five people living there when the CQC visited between 28 March and 5 April.

Inspectors said records showed one person was subjected to "clinical holding and support holding" but it was unclear what the terms meant and so people were "at risk of harm".

There were 49 incidents of concerning behaviour relating to one resident over the course of 10 months, but they were not recognised as incidents of "possible or actual harm", the inspectors said.

The report said the service did not operate "within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act" or according to its own deprivation of liberty policies.

However, inspectors said the interim manager, who had only been in place six weeks at the start of the inspection, had already taken action by increasing staffing.

The report commended the "clean" environment, the residents' balanced diet and how their rooms were "personalised" to their liking.

Inspectors described staff as patient, engaged, and showing warmth and respect when interacting with residents.

The CQC said it would reinspect the care home within six months, and that if there was no evidence of improvement, it could be ordered to stop operating.

The operating company, Achieve Together Limited, has been contacted for comment.

St Albans House received a rating of good in 2019 when it was last visited by the CQC - when it was operated by a different company.