Risk of financial abuse at care home in Eastleigh, report says

Inspectors said they found "discrepancies within people's financial records"

Vulnerable care home residents were put at risk of "financial abuse", a health services watchdog has found.

Redlands in Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh, specialises in looking after people with learning difficulties and autism.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated it as inadequate in a report published on Tuesday, citing "poor leadership" and failures in safeguarding against "improper treatment".

Choice Care Group, which runs the home, has been contacted for comment.

The CQC said the home in Leigh Road was placed into special measures following the inspection in March and would be re-inspected within six months.

'Tight with the budget'

"People were not protected from the risk of financial abuse," the report said.

"We found discrepancies within people's financial records which had not been identified by the provider."

The report said the care home began taking action to deal with the concerns during the inspection by having an audit carried out and notifying police.

Concerns were also raised about the home's cleanliness, as well as the competence of staff.

A relative of one resident told inspectors: "I don't rate them well at all because they're very tight with the budget."

Inspectors also said they observed "some people frequently seeking out interaction and engagement from staff which was not responded to" and stated residents were "put at risk of harm".

The provider's oversight and governance of the service was ineffective in identifying the serious failings in relation to the safety, quality and standard of the service," the report added.