Doncaster care home breached residents' human rights

Dr Anderson Lodge care home in Stainforth has been placed into special measures by the Care Quality Commission after inspectors said the home was ‘inadequate’ in all five areas surrounding safety, management, responsiveness, care and effectiveness.

A detailed report states it breached health and social care laws on 13 separate occasions.

Inspectors witnessed safety issues through a lack of recorded incidents within the home, medicines not managed safely, poor food hygiene practices, infection control issues, failing to ensure people were protected from abuse and a lack of staff on shift.

Residents were also said to be ‘at risk of losing further weight not receiving adequate nutrition and hydration’, food had been ‘served cold’ and residents ‘were not offered a mid-morning snack’.

CQC officials also noted staff members were ‘not respectful’ and they often heard them refer to residents as ‘feeders and wanderers’.

The report also said the environment in the annexe ‘was not suitably adapted’ to meet the needs of people living with dementia. The corridors were said to be ‘dark and narrow’ and the environment felt ‘oppressive’.

Inspectors said residents were ‘not always provided with care that promoted their dignity’ and that staff ‘did not always notice or attend to people's personal care needs’.

CQC officials observed one person who was reliant upon staff to maintain their personal appearance, however staff had ‘not provided this support’ and they were left in an 'undignified state’.

A CQC spokesman said: “The provider was failing to always protect people from abuse. One person who was being regularly restrained without suitable safeguards in place, which was a breach of their human rights.

“Staff were not always recognising and responding to abuse. We saw one incident where a person who was confused grabbed hold of another, staff had not reported the incident to the registered manager, so it could be reported to the local authority safeguarding team.”

The home accommodates up to 60 people with varying needs with sensory impairments, physical disabilities and dementia. There were 41 people living at the home at the time of the unannounced inspection.

Care home manager Sara Wilson, said: “Although we are all at Dr Anderson Lodge disappointed by the rating given by the Care Quality Commission following their most recent visit, we do thank them for their in-depth inspection of our service and value their input in providing ourselves with the opportunity to continuously improve our service.

“The owners, management team and staff are determined and committed to working with residents, their loved ones, the CQC and external professionals to ensure the improvement of our rating and continuously provide the highest quality of service.

“We want to offer our heartfelt thanks to Doncaster Council and the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group for their continued support.”

Dr Anderson Lodge is on East Lane, Stainforth.