A care home in Hull has been put into special measures after receiving an inadequate rating from the Care Quality Commission.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have announced today that The Rowans Care Home on West Ella Way in Kirk Ella has been placed in special measures following an assessment undertaken between February 25 and March 6.
The Rowans Care Home, which is run by the National Care Consortium Ltd, provides personal care for up to 53 adults, including some who are living with dementia or mental health conditions. It says since the inspection, the service has undergone a ‘decisive and far-reaching transformation’. A spokesperson said it ‘strongly refutes the implication that it remains unsafe or poorly managed.’
“Since the CQC’s inspection, two months ago, we have worked tirelessly to review all aspects of our service and commence remedial work. Crucially, this includes a change in leadership at both Home and regional level,” they said.
The care home was previously rated as ‘good’, however during the inspection, which included site visits on February 25 and March 3, the CQC found five breaches of regulation in relation to providing safe care and treatment, people’s dignity, safeguarding, staffing and governance.
In the assessment, which the CQC say “was carried out in response to information we received about the service,” the care home received a score of 1 out of 4 in the ‘kindness, compassion, and dignity’ category. The report provides the following example: “Staff did not always recognise how to promote dignity, we observed people within the service that were not appropriately dressed, which compromised their dignity and when we raised this with the registered manager, their response was to that this would not be addressed due to the person’s dementia.”
The report also states that in addition to the residents’ dignity being jeopardised, “staff were not always respectful of their colleagues. For example, when speaking with one staff member they use derogatory language relating to other staffs’ ethnicity.”
Other concerns raised in the report include serious concerns over fire safety in the care home as “the majority of staff had not completed up to date fire safety training,” and “poor management of medicines” that “placed people at risk of not receiving their prescribed medication correctly.”
Linda Hirst, CQC deputy director of operations in the North, said: “When we inspected The Rowans Care Home, we were disappointed to find that the quality of care had significantly deteriorated since our previous visit. People weren’t always receiving safe care and treatment due to leaders having a lack of understanding of the challenges the service faced, and what improvements were needed to keep people safe.
“Our inspection team found that leaders ignored safety concerns, and didn’t investigate incidents, so the home could identify areas of learning and improvement. They also didn’t always report incidents to appropriate external organisations. For example, during our inspection, we needed to make four safeguarding referrals to the local authority due to people not receiving their correct medicines or appropriate personal care which could put them at risk of harm.
“Additionally, staff raised concerns with us about unsafe staffing levels, which meant that they were unable to support people’s basic care needs. During our visit someone was left in bed until lunch time, as there was no staff available to help them get up. This is totally unacceptable and people living at The Rowans Care Home deserve better choice and control of their lives.
“Staff also lacked understanding on how to support people who were living with dementia in a respectful way, particularly when they became distressed. It was concerning that during our visit, someone became distressed and had to be supported by a visitor as no staff were around to support them and give them the care they needed.
“However, it was positive to hear that people, and their families, felt informed about any changes to their care and support.
“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid improvements and we will continue to monitor the service closely to keep people safe during this time. We have also begun the process of taking regulatory action which The Rowans Care Home has the right to appeal.”
The Rowans Care Home has responded to the CQC’s findings and have issued the following statement: “As a prudent and reflective provider of care we always take seriously any concern raised about our service.
“Whilst we acknowledge some historic shortcomings identified during the CQC’s February–March inspection, the service has undergone a decisive and far-reaching transformation since that time.
“As such, National Care Consortium Limited, the provider of care at the Home strongly refutes the implication that it remains unsafe or poorly managed.
“Since the CQC’s inspection, two months ago, we have worked tirelessly to review all aspects of our service and commence remedial work.
“Crucially, this includes a change in leadership at both Home and regional level.
“The Home has implemented a comprehensive improvement action plan with rigorous audit processes, enhanced staff training (particularly in safeguarding, medicines management, and fire safety), and improved governance systems. Risk management protocols have been overhauled to ensure residents receive the high standards of care they deserve.
“We have received continued support from East Riding of Yorkshire Council, alongside our wonderful staff team who are committed to restoring the Home’s position as a good provider of care.
“We now invite the CQC to conduct a new inspection that reflects the current position—not one that is historical in nature and not representative of the position the Home is now in.
“We take our duty to constantly improve and learn very seriously and will always react positively and proactively to accurate criticism. We are hopeful that the next inspection of the service restores the Home’s “Good” rating.”
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
