Birmingham care home for dementia patients rated inadequate

A Birmingham care home has been placed in special measures after inspectors said the level of care was unacceptable.

The Ridings Care Home for patients with dementia has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection in October.

Inspectors said residents faced a "worrying lack of privacy and dignity".

The care home said it took the concerns very seriously and was committed to addressing them.

The Ridings, run by Dukeries Healthcare Limited, provides accommodation and care for up to 83 people living with dementia. At the time of inspection, there were 79 people using the service.

A review of information held by the CQC prompted the unannounced inspection, the watchdog said.

Amanda Lyndon, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said it was disappointing to see "such a significant shortfall of strong leadership".

"We saw someone who was clearly embarrassed when staff asked if they needed the toilet in front of others, and people told us staff members didn't always shut the door when they were being washed or supported to use the bathroom," she said.

"On one occasion, when staff were made aware of this, they rejected the suggestion to shut the door and said they wouldn't be told what to do."

She also said some residents were at risk of becoming socially isolated because they were not always supported to follow their interests or take part in activities.

She said some people were excluded from enjoying entertainment at the home or accessing the community because they were overlooked by staff.

"We also saw some people spent long periods alone without engaging with others, with one person only engaging in one activity for the last three months," she said.

Inspectors were also concerned about the safety of the environment, as fire doors were propped open by staff and hazards were accessible to patients.

'Robust measures'

They also found an increased risk of infections spreading due to unclean bathrooms and people's clothes being stored in dining rooms.

The service is now in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by the CQC.

Rose Bracher, who has been appointed quality director at the care home since the CQC inspection, said: "Our residents' wellbeing remains our top priority, and we are implementing robust measures to enhance the quality of care provided."

She said the home was "dedicated to continuous improvement", but had suffered from a "period of instability" since the outbreak of Covid.

"As part of our commitment, we have appointed a new home manager and brought in an experienced Quality Director to work collaboratively on addressing the identified areas for improvement. "

Ms Bracher said many of the issues raised, including staff training, had already been addressed, while others would "take a little longer to embed".

"We have provided CQC with 91 pieces of evidence of the improvements that have been made," she said.

"We are confident that the home will return to its previous good rating which has been achieved consistently since 2009."