Nottinghamshire care home placed in special measures

Inspectors said residents "were not supported by staff who had been appropriately trained and were competent"

A care home in Nottinghamshire has been placed into special measures by inspectors.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) had given Care @ Rainbow's End in Shelford, a "requires improvement" rating at its previous inspection.

Inspectors then returned in May and found problems with the quality of care, safety and leadership.

It has now been given a rating of inadequate and will be inspected again in six months.

The home provides personal care for up to five people with a learning disability.

During the inspection, inspectors found a fault with the fire alarm which meant it was not working properly, as well as a problem with the hot water system which left residents at risk of being scalded.

Staff were also not properly trained on how to restrain agitated residents, which the inspectors said left them "at risk of psychological abuse" on three specific occasions.

Medicines were also not being managed safely, measures to control the possible risk of infections were poor and inspectors said residents were not given enough opportunity to make decisions for themselves.

The leadership of the home was also singled out for criticism after inspectors found it had deteriorated since their last visit and staff felt unsupported.

'Concerning' deterioration

Rebecca Bauers, CQC's director for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said: "It was concerning to see a deterioration in the quality of care being provided and find several areas that continued to be a risk to people's safety and welfare.

"Leaders must now focus their attention on making the necessary improvements and making the culture in the service a more positive one to ensure people receive a better standard of care.

"If we are not assured people are receiving safe care, we will not hesitate to take further enforcement action to ensure people are receiving the high standard of care they deserve."

The care home provider has been contacted for comment.