'Dirty' Nottinghamshire care home placed into special measures

Balmore Country House has been rated "inadequate" by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission

A care home has been placed into special measures after inspectors said it was dirty and staff were uncaring.

Care Quality Commission inspectors found a resident at Balmore Country House wrapped in a soiled duvet.

They also said staff failed to treat residents with dignity and respect, equipment at the home was dirty and they found brown stains in a room after it had been cleaned.

The Ruddington care home has apologised to residents and their families.

The home was rated "good" at its previous inspection in 2020, but has now been rated as inadequate.

The inspectors' report, which has now been published after their visit in November, stated: "We observed a person in their bedroom wrapped in a quilt with no cover on. They had faeces on them and faeces on their quilt and on the walls.

"If we had not seen this person and raised this concern, the person could have been in this state for a longer period of time.

"When we returned to their bedroom, a cover had been placed on the quilt and pillowcase; however, this was stained with historic blood marks.

"This person did not receive dignified and respectful care and support."

'Not always respected'

Inspectors also found brown stains on the wall, which had just been cleaned and the linen on the bed was still marked with brown stains and dried blood.

A wheelchair seen in another bedroom was also said to be "very dirty with brown stains on the seat", while other areas of the home in Loughborough Road were "in a state of disrepair".

Medicines were also not managed safely. Inspectors added people's dignity was "not always respected" and some residents felt lonely and had limited interactions with staff.

However, the report stated: "We did observe some positive interactions between staff and people. Some staff were kind and caring with their approach and people liked this. Accidents and incidents were investigated and reported appropriately."

Some staff were said to be reluctant to accept the inspectors' findings, but Ruddington Homes Limited, which runs the home, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service a number of issues were rectified immediately.

A spokesperson added: "Clearly normal practices have not been followed in certain areas, and we want to take this opportunity to apologise to residents and their families if we have let them down in any way.

"We are absolutely determined to implement all the changes recommended to address the concerns raised and move the home away from this current rating and return it to its usual good standard.

"Balmore Country House has been proud to care for its residents for many years and will make every effort to do so in the future at the level which is expected of it, and the local community deserves.

"Once again, we apologise that on this occasion, we have come up short on that aim. We are actively engaged in making sure that this does not happen in the future."

The home can provide care for up to 76 people but 44 people were living there at the time of inspection, some of whom may be living with dementia.