Halifax care home residents referred to by room numbers

Summerfield House Nursing Home has been placed into special measures

A nursing home has been placed into special measures after inspectors were called in to investigate claims residents' safety, care and dignity were being compromised.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) took action following a visit to Summerfield House Nursing Home in Halifax.

It said staff had used room numbers rather than names to refer to residents and ignored calls for help.

Summerfield House said it had plans in place for "widespread improvements".

CQC inspectors visited the home, which provides nursing and personal care for up to 107 people, some of whom are living with dementia, in January and February.

The regulator said it had been prompted by "concerns received about the management of the home, people's care and treatment, and how their privacy and dignity was maintained".

It said it had also been notified of "incidents where people's safety, health and wellbeing had been put at risk", but that these allegations were being investigated separately.

Following the visit Sheila Grant, CQC deputy director of operations in the north said, the inspection team found "widespread and significant shortfalls in the management and oversight of the service" as well as "several areas of concern where people's safety, care and dignity was being compromised due to standards that had been allowed to slip".

'Degrading and disrespectful'

"During the inspection we saw people showing signs of distress and calling out for support from staff, but they were often ignored which is totally unacceptable," said Ms Grant.

"We also saw staff referring to people by their room numbers instead of their names, which is degrading and disrespectful."

The CQC said managers at the home had taken action during and after the inspection in response to the concerns raised and an action plan had been put in place.

Ms Grant said she expected to see the necessary improvements being made "as quickly as possible", adding that the CQC would "continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe".

In response to the report, a spokesman for Summerfield House said their "primary concern is the wellbeing of our residents".

"Our new care manager, who has a track record of service turnaround, knows what is required and together with her dedicated team at Summerfield House expects to see widespread improvements in the coming weeks," he said.