Leopold Muller care home in Bath rated as inadequate to close

Care Quality Commission inspectors visited Leopold Muller care home in Bath in July and August

A care home rated inadequate in its most recent inspection will close down.

Leopold Muller, on Watery Lane in Bath, has been placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Following inspections in July and August, the care home operator, Achieve Together, told the CQC that it would close the home down.

Achieve Together said the decision to close the home was "not taken lightly" and "made in the best interest" of those it supports.

Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) has also been contacted for comment.

The CQC said it would meet the provider to request an action plan for how people would be kept safe and how it could proceed with the closure.

Leopold Muller cares for 22 people who are deaf or deafblind, and who have other conditions such as dementia and autism.

Inspectors found that people with autism were not kept safe, medicine was not always managed correctly and systems were not in place to help people who lacked the capacity to make their own choices.

The report also found residents were not always treated with dignity and respect and it cited examples of doors being left open when staff were delivering intimate care.

'Disappointed' by report

It said management did their best to lead by example, but were held back due to "supporting a large unstable staff team" and that some staff lacked the communication skills to assist with activities.

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) used to run the home but stopped directly providing a care and support service in 2021 to focus on campaigning and other services to support deaf people, it said.

It said it had selected Achieve Together to take on its services following a "rigorous assessment process and extensive due diligence".

"We're disappointed to read this report, and we fully expect that Achieve Together are now working with the people they support, their families and the CQC to ensure that the people currently supported at Leopold Muller get the high-quality care they deserve whilst they close the service," a spokesperson added.

A spokesman for Achieve Together said: "We've taken the difficult decision to issue a notice for the closure of the home, which was not taken lightly but was made in the best interest of those we support.

"We are working closely with people we support, their families and the local authority to find alternative provision that will better suit their needs. All our team members will also remain in the organisation having identified new roles.

"The CQC report noted a number of short fallings which we had already identified as being unacceptable as part of our extensive review, and which informed our decision to close.

"We worked immediately to rectify some of the priority issues raised by the CQC which have now been resolved and are continuing to work with the local authority to deliver on our improvement action plan."