Norwich care home for vulnerable fails inspection across all criteria

Heath House residential care home in Norwich has failed to meet standards, according to care inspectors

A care home for vulnerable people has been rated as inadequate across all categories and put into special measures by health inspectors.

Heath House Project Ltd in Thorpe Road, Norwich, was found to run an unsafe service that was neither effective, caring, responsive nor well-led.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out its inspection in May.

Heath House, which only registered with the CQC in October, said it was committed to improving its rating.

It now has six months to improve or face the possibility of losing its registration.

The home offered care to 17 people with dementia and poor mental health in one-bedroom flats, although at the time of the CQC visit only nine people were living there.

The unannounced inspection was prompted in part by concerns raised about medicines management, staff training, management of risks to people and governance, the CQC said.

Blood on floor

Inspectors found residents were not safe and that infection control, individual risks and environmental risks had not been assessed or responded to.

"In one person's flat we found soiled items in a kitchen cupboard with a biscuit on top," the CQC report said.

"In another person's flat we found large drops of blood left on their floor. This posed an infection control risk."

Medicines were not handled or stored safely and residents did not always receive their medicines as prescribed.

"For example, we saw one person had received an incorrect dose of their antipsychotic medicine and missed this medicine on two further occasions," the report said.

"People told us they did not feel safe living in the service. People and relatives raised concerns about the high turnover of staff and high use of agency [staff]," inspectors noted.

A lack of governance systems meant any risks were neither assessed nor monitored, with records not maintained.

The service will remain under review, and unless the CQC decides to cancel the provider's registration, inspectors will carry out a further inspection in six months.

In a statement Heath House said: "We worked worked tirelessly with the CQC and county council to ensure all residents were moved to more suitable accommodation whilst investigating the issues that had been brought to our attention."

It had since employed a new registered manager "to bring Heath House back to the standards we envisaged when we opened".

"The safety and care of the residents at Heath House was always our priority and we are committed to working with CQC and Norfolk County Council to improve the rating of Heath House," it added.