Three Durham care homes put in special measures
- Published
Unannounced inspections were carried out at the three Park View homes, all in Hetton-le-Hole, after concerns had been raised
Three care homes for people with learning disabilities have been placed into special measures.
The Park View homes, in Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, were rated inadequate by the Care and Quality Commission.
Inspectors said there were no effective systems to prevent the spread of illnesses like Covid and said there was a lack of staffing.
SELF, which runs the homes, said it had taken "a number of steps" to improve care.
The homes, rated good in previous inspections in 2018, provide accommodation and support for people with learning disabilities, but concerns had been raised about their safety, staffing levels and management of the necessary services.
The CQC carried out unannounced inspections in September and October and found a number of problems.
'Put at risk'
Residents were not given enough "independence and control" over their lives while there were particular issues relating to Covid, inspectors said.
The report said: "We found there were no effective systems to prevent and control the spread of infections like Covid-19.
"Staff and people living in these homes were being put at risk because personal protective equipment wasn't easily available and there were no designated areas for staff to change into it.
"There was also no system for recording staff Covid-19 results which meant the provider had no accurate record of who had tested positive."
The CQC will carry out a further inspection within the next six months and said it hoped to find significant improvements, otherwise further enforcement would be required.
SELF said in a statement it was already acting on recommendations which had been made by the CQC inspection.
It said: "We are taking this situation extremely seriously and we have already taken a number of steps to put in place a range of measures to improve Park View.
"We are confident we now have the processes in place to provide the quality care we expect for our residents. We will continue to embed these processes and will continue the process of consistently improving the care being delivered at Park View."
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