Stafford care home staff illegally locked up patients and stopped them from leaving
Dementia sufferers were illegally locked up and stopped from leaving a Stafford care home, a report from a health watchdog has revealed.
The Care Quality Commission has said Longridge Care Home in Dunston must improve after several failings were found.
Two inspectors discovered that staff were restricting certain patients from leaving the premises on Levedale Road without making the necessary legal applications – referred to as the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
The CQC report stated: "We did not see that any capacity assessments had been completed to ascertain people's capacity to make informed decisions.
"We saw that the building was locked with a keypad and there were locked areas within the home. People were not able to leave the building without the support of staff.
"Stair gates prevented people from coming downstairs and doors were alarmed to alert the staff that people were mobilising upstairs.
"We discussed this with the manager who informed us that these things were in place to keep people safe. This meant that the provider was not working within the guidelines of the Mental Capacity Act and some people were being unlawfully restricted of their liberty."
Concerns were also raised that staff were suffering abuse from patients in silence because they did not feel anything would be done.
Inspectors said: "Allegations of suspected abuse were not reported to and investigated by the local authority. Staff knew what constituted abuse, however, some staff did not feel confident in the provider's whistle-blowing procedure."
In a further breach the CQC found that some patients were kept in the dark about their treatment.
The home can accommodate up to 32 people with dementia, mental health problems or physical disabilities. There were 23 patients at the time of the inspection in June.
Despite the CQC ruling that standards must improve inspectors did make positive observations, such as there being enough trained staff to cater for people's needs.
The CQC stated: "We have asked the provider to send us a report that says what action they are going to take. We did not take formal enforcement action at this stage."
The care home declined to comment.
