Express & Star

Brownhills care homes close down after scathing reports by inspectors

Two Brownhills care homes have shut down after scathing Care Quality Commission reports meant they were banned from providing care.

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The Bungalow and Ferndale care homes, run by Chase Community Homes and located on Short Street and Church Road respectively, were both rated inadequate by inspectors and banned from providing care.

Chase Community Homes has since shut down both buildings and put them up for sale.

Both homes cared for people with autism and learning disabilities with CQC inspectors finding 'widespread and significant shortfalls' in both services.

At the Bungalow, there was no manager in place and residents were not always being protected from harm.

The Bungalow in Short Street, Brownhills

The inspectors noted one resident who was displaying behaviours that 'could result in serious harm to other people living at the service', but these risks had not been managed by staff.

At Ferndale, the managers were not reporting safeguarding incidents to the local authority and medicines were not being stored safely.

Inspectors noted in one instance that two out of three staff members did not know that a patient was at risk of choking or asphyxiation with the laundry door left open allowing them access to ingestible items such as hand wash.

Overall both homes were rated inadequate for their safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership. Inspectors said their level of caring required improvement.

Both homes were inspected unannounced back in April across four days.

Deb Holland, head of adult social care inspections in CQC's central region, said: "CQC inspectors found unacceptable standards of care when they visited The Bungalow and Ferndale care homes, run by Chase Community Homes in Brownhills, Walsall, and this why we made the decision to take urgent action to protect the safety and welfare of people using the service.

"During this time we worked closely with Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council with regard to the welfare of all those using the service and to ensure they received suitable alternative care.

"CQC takes urgent action, such as cancelling a provider's registration, in the most serious of cases and it is not a decision we take lightly. We work closely with other agencies, including those involved in placing people in care services, when dealing with these situations to make sure people can be protected and so they can receive the standards of care they should be able to expect."

The Express & Star tried to contact Chase Community Homes but all their phones had been disconnected.

When the paper visited the two addresses they found all the curtains and blinds at Ferndale shut with a chain running across a fence outside the main entrance.

Both homes are believed to have been shut for a number of weeks with both having for sale signs up.

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