Care home rated 'inadequate' after safety concerns

Northlands was rated inadequate by CQC inspectors

A care home has been placed in special measures after a watchdog received concerns about safety and staffing.

Northlands Care Home, in Morpeth, Northumberland, has been rated inadequate following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The CQC's Linda Hirst said the care provider had failed to ensure staff always had the right skills and inspectors found people were not always safe from the risk of avoidable harm.

Parkside Care, which manages Northlands, said they had made "good and effective progress" since the watchdog's visit.

The CQC's inspection was carried out in December, but its findings were published on Thursday.

The home previously had an overall rating of good, although its leadership had been rated as requiring improvement.

Now the overall rating has dropped to inadequate, but it remains rated good for caring and responsiveness.

'Disappointed'

Ms Hirst, who is CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: "When we inspected Northlands Care Home, we were disappointed to see a shortfall in strong leadership.

She said "ineffective management structures meant the provider couldn’t monitor the quality of care provided".

At the time of the inspection, the council was working with the home due to concerns about people's care and safety.

"We found there had been a number of falls at the home, or unexplained bruising which wasn't always identified or referred to the safeguarding team in a timely manner, or being learned from to prevent future incidents," said Ms Hirst.

She added people were also not being supported to drink enough fluids.

'Fallen below standard'

Parkside Care said an experienced new head of quality and compliance had now been recruited to work with staff on a "comprehensive" improvement plan.

A spokesman said: "We regret that Northlands Care Home has fallen below the standards that we and the Care Quality Commission expect."

They added they hoped to return to a "good" rating soon and that numerous steps had already been taken to address issues.