CQC says Church Farm Care Home 'resident hadn't eaten for three days'

The care home owner disputed the CQC's findings but the regulator said they had been given a chance to respond

A care home resident did not eat for three days according to its records, an inspection has found.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said "people's overall quality of life was poor" at the Church Farm Care Home in Great Yarmouth.

The regulator stated it had taken action to protect residents including a number of safeguarding referrals.

Operator Hewitt-Hill Limited "strongly" denied that a resident went for days without food.

The Norfolk-based company maintained the CQC had "drawn inaccurate and unfair conclusions without corroborating its evidence appropriately" and that its inspection findings over a resident not eating was based on a "recording error".

Hewitt-Hill Limited, which is owned by Ashley Care Group, said it had taken over the home three months before the inspections took place and that it had inherited the "shortfalls in practices".

In response, the CQC told the BBC: "As with all inspection reports, the provider had an opportunity to raise any inaccuracies during the factual accuracy process and the provider's comments had been reviewed and taken into consideration prior to the publication of the final report."

Norfolk County Council said it had "concerns about quality within Ashley Group care homes" and that it had carried out quality assessments across four of its homes, with the fifth to take place in the coming days.

Inadequate

Inspectors visited the home on Yarmouth Road, which at the time had 36 people using the service, in October and November 2023.

The service was rated inadequate overall.

The CQC found a series of shortcoming some of which prompted immediate action:

• The provider did not assess risks to ensure people were safe, the report said, and staff did not take action to mitigate those risks

• "Serious concerns" around medicine management were raised and referrals made to Norfolk County Council's safeguarding team

• Incidents were not always reported to the CQC in line with the provider's regulatory requirements

• Poorly maintained facilities such as damaged surfaces and furniture were seen by inspectors

• The provider did not always ensure there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff

• Information sharing by staff was poor and didn't cover individual risks

• People repeatedly asked for help getting to the toilet but staff were seen not returning to assist them

The inspectors also identified avoidable harm to residents which resulted in somebody being taken to hospital "due to poor oversight".

When one new arrival said they wanted to harm themselves "no additional welfare checks, or safety measures were implemented" the report stated.

'Poor leadership'

In a statement, Hewitt-Hill Limited said: "We were aware of the requirement to make improvements at the home and were in the process of addressing relevant areas when the CQC inspected.

It continued: "The issues raised by the CQC related to inherited shortfalls in practices and unfortunately the inspection took place before we had the opportunity to fully review, implement and embed necessary improvements."

In relation to the allegation a resident did not eat for three says, the company stated the CQC had raised the matter as a safeguarding alert which was investigated by the county council "and has since been closed. The local authority has acknowledged it was a documentation issue which has since been rectified and recognised the proactive approach taken by the home in response".

Norfolk County Council did not address this claim when asked.

Head of integrated quality service Tim Weller said: "Church Farm is the latest addition to the Ashley Care Group's portfolio and transition from the previous owner has not been without issues, including disruption to leadership which has impacted negatively on overall quality.

"In response to several concerns identified, we imposed a restriction on admissions to the home in November 2023, to promote stability while closely monitored improvements are implemented. We are working with our health partners, supporting the provider with medicines management advice and reviewing the care of individuals" he added.

Gill Hodgson-Reilly, CQC deputy director of operations in the east of England, said: "When we visited Church Farm Care Home, it was extremely worrying to find that the care home was rated inadequate across all five key areas of our inspection. We had serious concerns around the safety and wellbeing of people living there.

"It was clear to us that the service wasn't well-led. The new provider hadn't conducted thorough reviews and assessments when they took over the service, so weren't aware of the areas where improvements needed to be made. This poor leadership was behind most of the issues we found."

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