Doncaster care home remains in special measures following latest inspection

An under fire Doncaster care home remains in special measures after it was branded ‘inadeuqate’ in its latest inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has downgraded the rating of Anchor House in Doncaster and keptit in special measure to protect people following the latest inspection in September.

It was first put into special measures in the summer of 2025.

The home, in Avenue Road, which is run by Authentic Care Services Limited, provides accommodation and personal care for up to 23 people, some of whom are living with dementia.

CQC carried out the inspection to follow up on concerns found at the previous inspection.

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Following the visit, CQC has downgraded the ratings for safe and well-led from requires improvement to inadequate, and responsive, effective and caring from good to inadequate.

It means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people safe and it will be monitored to check sufficient improvements have been made. CQC has also begun the process of taking regulatory action to address the concerns which Authentic Care Services Limited has the right to appeal.

Victoria Marsden, CQC deputy director north, adult social care, said: "When we inspected Anchor House, it was concerning to see leadership had declined further which led to people not receiving the appropriate quality of care they deserve.

“Leaders failed to ensure there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

“For example, one person’s care plan identified they wanted to go in the garden area and another person who was cared for in bed wanted some one-to-one support, but this couldn’t be done due to the minimal number of staff on shift.

“This also led to staff being very task-focused staff and not always interacting with people in a kind and caring way.

“Relatives told us their family member’s clothes were often not ironed or went missing and slippers and footwear they’d provided had never been used due to staff not having the time to support people properly.

“It was particularly concerning to see staff having such poor communication and support with people at meal times which led to people not eating their main meal of the day.

“Our inspector had to intervene and direct a member of staff to engage with someone who had not been supported to eat their meal and would have gone hungry otherwise, which is unacceptable.

“Additionally, we saw people just sitting in the lounge with nothing to do and there were minimal activities available to support people’s wellbeing and prevent loneliness and boredom.

“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, and continued improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time. We have begun the process of taking regulatory action in order to protect people further.”

Inspectors found:

• Anchor House had a lack of clear signage around the building to support people with dementia to navigate around their home.
• Leaders didn’t always ensure lessons were learned from incidents to continually identify and embed good practice.
• The building wasn’t always safely maintained, leaving people exposed to avoidable harm. For example, the outside area was cluttered with waste materials making it unusable if people wanted to spend time outside.
• Staff didn’t ensure people’s medicines were managed and administered safely.
• Anchor House didn’t assess people’s needs and risks properly meaning they could be placed at risk of unsafe care.
• Leaders didn’t make it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about people’s care, treatment and support.