Kettering care home's treatment of patients during Covid 'shocking'

Temple Court was closed in May 2020 after serious concerns came to light during a Care Quality Commission inspection

A report has described patients' treatment at a care home where 19 died during the Covid pandemic as "truly shocking".

Temple Court, in Kettering, Northants, was shut in May 2020 after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection raised serious concerns.

Care provider Amicura Limited was fined £120,000 in May after patients were "catastrophically let down".

A spokesman said it had "apologised unreservedly" to everyone affected.

Northamptonshire Safeguarding Adults Board has now concluded its own review into the home's failings.

It examined the circumstances surrounding the treatment of patients at Temple Court at the start of the pandemic.

The probe covered the period between January and May 2020, when 19 residents died.

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"Its significant deterioration during April/May 2020 was truly shocking and despite intervention and support from health colleagues, it failed to respond and recover," the report said.

"The oversight, governance and control by the service provider were absent. Residents within the care home were neglected and suffered significant harm as a result."

A total of 23 hospital patients were transferred into Temple Court between 19 March and 3 April 2020 amid a national effort to free up bed space in hospitals.

But the provider had not adequately assessed the risk of people living there and no manager or assistant manager was in place.

The CQC report, which followed an inspection in 2020, found residents were "subjected to degrading treatment" with one "covered in dried faeces" for hours.

'Awful situation'

The safeguarding board said it would meet health and social care agencies to ensure actions were in place to address its recommendations.

Its chairman David Watts said: "This was an awful situation for all concerned, particularly families who were separated from their loved ones, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to them.

"We're publishing the report into the care provided at Temple Court Care Home today and acknowledge that its contents are challenging regarding the activities of a number of organisations."

A Temple Court spokesperson said the care home suffered "failures of our systems and processes" at the start of the pandemic.

They said: "Following these events, we immediately set about learning lessons about what went wrong and committed to making significant improvements across the company to ensure that our residents are always safe, supported and well-cared for."

The spokesperson added many of the home's staff were "overwhelmed, exhausted and themselves ill with the virus".