Bishop's Castle care home could close over continuing safety concerns

Keegan's Court Residential Care Home was rated inadequate after an inspection in February

A care home in south Shropshire could be shut down after inspectors found long-running failures had in some cases got worse.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Keegan's Court Residential Care Home in Bishop's Castle inadequate again after a visit in February.

Inspectors said in one case residents were left without heating for 72 hours.

The care home remains in special measures and has yet to respond to the report.

As well as being rated inadequate overall, the home, on Kerry Lane, has been rated as inadequate for safety and care.

The CQC said it would use enforcement powers to prevent the provider, Kevindale Residential Care Home, from operating the service to keep people safe.

Andy Brand, CQC deputy director of operations for the Midlands, said the service was not well-led and that people had not been protected from the risk of abuse and ill-treatment.

The home provides care for up to 19 older people, some living with dementia, but at the time of inspection there were just three people living there.

'Failed to act'

In the report, the CQC said it had carried out an unannounced inspection to follow-up on a visit in July, which highlighted concerns over safety and infection control.

Inspectors found there was a risk of hypothermia, due to the home not being heated at the start of the inspection, with one resident having informed inspectors that they had kept their coat on all day on due to the cold.

The provider had also "knowingly allowed the heating to fail for around 72 hours," inspectors found.

Their report also highlighted there had not been enough suitably qualified staff available at all times, adding that the service had not effectively analysed incidents or made changes to improve safety.

It had also found that people had not always received medicines as prescribed and had not been effectively protected from the risk of infection.

"When we visited, we were concerned to find that issues highlighted at the last inspection had still not been addressed," Mr Brand said.

"More worryingly, we found further deterioration in the care being provided to people.

"Due to the number of serious issues found, the service will remain in special measures to help us, and other partner organisations keep people safe until our enforcement action is complete."