Cheltenham care home provider fined after avoidable attack

The CQC carried out an inspection on the premises in February, 2017

A care home provider has been fined almost half a million pounds after it failed to protect a vulnerable adult from avoidable life-changing injuries.

Workers and a resident were hurt by a tenant in a "shocking" assault in Alstone House in Cheltenham in 2017.

Inspectors had previously deemed the standard of the home as inadequate and were awaiting its closure.

Lifeways Community Care pleaded guilty and was fined £460,000 at Cirencester Magistrates' Court on 28 September.

It was also ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge and £35,000 in costs to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which brought the prosecution.

Alstone House was a residential care home that supported adults with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and some who had acquired brain injuries.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said, CQC had carried out an inspection on the premises in February, 2017.

A month later an ambulance was called after a tenant physically assaulted two agency care workers.

The tenant then went into another resident's room, locked the door and assaulted that resident leaving them with facial injuries.

Police were called for support and the paramedic immediately took them to hospital after the violent tenant opened the door 30 minutes later.

The CQC report stated there was no permanent staff member on duty at the time.

The permanent staff member would have known bedroom codes and where bedroom keys were kept, in case of any incidents, but, they did not turn up for work that evening.

During the attack, other staff contacted the on-call manager for support but the on-call manager did not answer their phone.

'Failed to protect'

A spokesperson for Lifeways Community Care Limited said it "deeply regret[s]" the "tragic event".

"We accept that in this case we didn't meet the standards we set for ourselves," it added.

The care provider said it had co-operated fully with the subsequent investigation by the CQC and the police.

"Our thoughts go to those affected by the incident," it added.

CQC head of inspection for adult social care Rebecca Bauers, described it as a "shocking case".

"Regardless of whether a service is closing or not there is an expectation that it must provide the standard of care people expect," she said.

"The provider failed in its specific legal duty to protect. It failed in its duty of care to the agency staff."