Rayleigh care home that locked toilets is told to improve

The home, which has up to 35 residents, has been rated as requiring improvement

A care home that installed alarms on residents' doors and locked toilets without a record of their consent has been told it requires improvement.

Rawreth Court in Rayleigh, Essex, received an unannounced Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection, following up on a previous visit.

The CQC said: "This is not a dignified way for people to live."

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the home, said it had been making improvements.

The home, which has up to 35 residents, has been rated as requiring improvement again for safety, effectiveness and responsiveness.

Its leadership rating dropped from requires improvement to inadequate, and its caring rating dropped from good to requires improvement.

'Leaders lacked oversight'

Hazel Roberts, CQC East deputy director of operations said: "It was disappointing to find care was not always delivered in a way which respected the person being supported or maintained their dignity.

"Leaders didn't have the oversight to provide a culture which could deliver consistent, high-quality care."

She said blanket restrictions were in place, for example, all of the toilet doors were locked so that nobody could access them without a staff member.

"There was nothing recorded to demonstrate people living in the service or their relatives had given their consent for this arrangement or that this decision was in their best interest," she added.

The CQC has issued two warnings demanding improvements, which will be monitored and reassessed to ensure resident safety.

Inspectors also found residents were not always given a choice of food and drink, and that not all staff were able to demonstrate good dementia or person-centred care.

However, regular meetings allowed for opportunity for service feedback.

A spokesperson from the trust said: "Since the inspection in September, we have strengthened processes around the safe administration of medication, improved the recording of patient risk assessments and refreshed staff training across a number of areas to enhance quality of care for all patients."