Manager at closed Nottingham care home 'knew lives were at risk'

Ashleigh House care home has been closed after it was put into special measures

A care home has been closed after inspectors discovered it was dirty and understaffed, with a manager admitting people's lives were at risk.

Two inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) arrived unannounced at Ashleigh House in Nottingham in May.

They found several problems at the home, which cared for 18 people with autism and learning disabilities, and placed it in special measures.

It has now been closed by the provider that ran it, W Scott.

The CQC inspectors found mattresses soaked with urine in bedrooms, unclean communal toilets with urine and faeces stains, as well as an unclean laundry area and kitchenette.

In its report, the CQC added there was no housekeeper, with the home unable to maintain cleaning on some days due to understaffing.

Missing tablets

Fire officials visited the home on the day of the CQC's inspection. It was found the home had "insufficient fire detection equipment" and no clear plan to evacuate during a fire.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service then served an immediate prohibition notice, which restricted everyone in the three-storey building to the "ground and basement area only".

The CQC's report added the home was not managing medicines safely, and the only person trained to give emergency medication to a resident who suffered seizures lived 40 minutes away.

One resident had 124 tablets unaccounted for, while another had "a discrepancy" of 28 tablets.

Radiators were not covered properly, the CQC said, and wardrobes were not fixed to walls.

The care home in Devon Drive should also have had 3.5 to four staff, but inspectors found only two staff were allocated for day and night shifts.

And the registered manager, who would make sure the home was up to standard, was no longer working at the home.

'Completely unacceptable'

The report said: "The culture of the home was negative, the manager told us the home was not safe and people needed to leave, meaning there was no drive for improvement or quality of the service.

"The provider failed to demonstrate any understanding regarding the severity of the concerns, only telling us, 'we are in a bad place', and stating the significant environmental factors and fire risks 'would all be sorted by tonight'.

"They gave us no assurances the provider was able to make the required improvement."

Rebecca Bauers, the CQC's director for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said: "We found signs of a closed culture where people felt they couldn't raise concerns due to management changes which resulted in no consistency or clear guidelines for staff to follow.

"It was clear the manager acknowledged the seriousness of our concerns, telling us that they knew people's lives were being put at risk by the provider, W Scott, and that they would prefer people to be moved out of the home to keep them safe.

"What we found at this inspection was completely unacceptable."

W Scott has been contacted for comment.