Oswestry care home placed in special measures after damning CQC report

High Lea House, a care home in Oswestry providing care for older adults, has been placed into special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a December inspection that revealed significant failings. The CQC has rated the home as "inadequate," a drastic drop from its previous "good" rating.

The inspection, which took place while 23 people were residing at the home, found serious concerns across multiple areas, leading to four warning notices being issued to the home's operator, Miss Y Wakefield.

The overall rating, as well as the ratings for "safe," "effective," and "well-led," were all downgraded to "inadequate." "Caring" and "responsive" aspects of the service were also deemed to "require improvement."

Amanda Lyndon, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, expressed deep disappointment with the findings. "We were disappointed to find that the quality of the service provided by High Lea House had deteriorated since our previous visit. People didn’t always receive safe care and treatment. While the people we spoke to were generally pleased with the care they received, we found that the service often failed to provide care and treatment that met expected standards."

Critical issues

Inspectors uncovered a series of critical issues, including:

Failure to investigate incidents: One resident had fallen ten times, but only one fall was properly investigated, hindering the ability to prevent future incidents.

Unsafe environment: The home failed to protect residents from burns and scalds, with unchecked hot water tap temperatures and exposed pipework.

Inadequate dietary support: Residents with choking risks were served unsafe food, and staff were not properly informed of their dietary needs.

Poor care planning and risk assessments: Care plans and risk assessments were not regularly reviewed.

Lack of resident involvement: Residents were not adequately involved in care choices, including end-of-life planning, and their feedback was not sought.

Insufficient staff training: Staff lacked proper training for safe resident movement.

Unaddressed external agency concerns: Environmental Health Agency recommendations were ignored.

Poor staff morale: Staff felt uncomfortable raising concerns.

Staffing shortages and inadequate employment checks: The home lacked sufficient staff, and some new staff had not undergone necessary background checks.

Under close scrutiny

The CQC has placed High Lea House in special measures, meaning it will be under close scrutiny while improvements are made. "We have told High Lea House where improvements are urgently needed and will keep the service under close review to monitor their progress. We won’t hesitate to use our regulatory powers further if this doesn’t happen," Lyndon stated.

Despite the serious concerns, the report did note that a new manager had been appointed and had begun implementing an action plan to address the issues. Staff reported that the new manager was supportive. Also, professionals that worked with the home were positive about working in partnership with the service.

The full inspection report will be published on the CQC’s website in the coming days.