Saltburn care home has multiple failings, report finds

The home was rated inadequate for keeping residents safe from abuse and avoidable harm.

Elderly people were left intimidated and frightened by controlling staff at a care home, an inspection has found.

Multiple failures were uncovered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at Laurieston Care Home in Saltburn.

Inspectors found residents were not protected from abuse or avoidable harm and were not treated with respect.

The home was rated inadequate following the inspection in December and will be reviewed again in six months.

The CQC found that residents' records were not updated and did not reflect their needs.

One patient was prone to depression, but there was no care plan in place to monitor their mood and mental health, so signs of deterioration went undetected.

Managers failed to ensure there were enough suitably competent and skilled staff on duty and staff were not always recruited safely, the report said.

'Inappropriate and controlling behaviour'

Medicines were not safely managed, staff did not follow infection control procedures and "there was not a positive culture within the home", it was concluded.

Auditors found there was not always a sufficient number of staff on duty to safely care for people and there were gaps in staff training including dealing with palliative care, continence care, falls, dementia, and diabetes.

Residents were also found to have experienced emotional and psychological abuse.

Inspectors said they were aware of a number of incidents where staff "had demonstrated inappropriate and controlling behaviour towards people, causing people to feel intimidated and frightened".

As a result of the inadequate rating, the care home has been put in special measures and will be kept under review.

It will be re-inspected within the next six months to check for "significant improvements".