Morpeth care home placed in special measures after inadequate rating by Care Quality Commission

East Riding Care Home, run by Four Seasons Health Care, has been given an “inadequate” rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

One of its key findings was that safeguarding systems are not robust enough to ensure people are always protected from the risk of abuse.

It also emerged broken washing machines had led to a build up of “soiled laundry”, residents did not have enough clean clothes to wear and others were forced to sleep in dirty sheets.

It was given an “inadequate” ranking when it came to being safe and well-led, and has been ordered to be more caring, effective and responsive.

Being in special measures means that the home – which provides accommodation and personal and nursing care for up to 67 people, some of whom have dementia – will be kept under review by the CQC and re-inspected.

Alison Chilton, CQC head of inspection, said: “When we inspected East Riding Care Home, we found a service where the standard of care had deteriorated since our last inspection.

“People’s needs weren’t always being met, staff weren’t being recruited safely and infection risks weren’t effectively managed.

“For example, both of the home’s washing machines had broken, which had resulted in a large build-up of soiled laundry. The quantity and how it was stored increased the risk of infections being passed on to people and staff.

“Additionally, this resulted in some people not having enough clean clothes and having to wear other people’s. Also, staff told us they weren’t always able to change bedding as often due to the shortage of clean sheets, so people were living with dirty bed sheets, which is totally unacceptable.

“Out of the 28 agency staff that had worked in the home in August 2022, 19 hadn’t had appropriate checks to assess their suitability, which could put people at risk.

“However, it was positive that people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. We received positive feedback from relatives regarding the caring attitudes of staff.

“We have told the provider what improvements need to be made and we will return to check on progress to make sure people are safe.”

A Four Seasons Health Care spokesman said: “We regret that East Riding Care Home has fallen below the standards that we and the Care Quality Commission expect.

“We have implemented a comprehensive service improvement plan to address the areas noted in the report. Since the inspection in September, we have taken a number of steps to rectify the issues highlighted, including a review of resident care and medication processes to ensure the needs of residents are better met.

“All issues with the laundry service have been rectified with the installation of a new washing machine and we have also appointed a new home manager, and an activities co-ordinator and activities assistant.

“Colleagues in the home are being supported by our regional team to be assured improvements are sustained.

“The safety and well-being of residents remain our first priority.”