Walsall care home faces closure over catalogue of failings

Leighswood, based on Lichfield Road in Rushall, has been placed in special measures after being rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

It now has six months to turn around its catalogue of failings or faces having to shut its doors.

The home's safety, effectiveness, responsiveness, leadership and care were all given the basement rating of inadequate.

Concerns raised by the CQC include prescribed medicines not being administered on time, a lack of staff to meet residents' needs and staff not respecting people's personal choices.

A report prepared after inspectors visited the home on January 31 said: "People's risks were not always managed safely. Staff told us how they managed some people's risks; however we saw they did not consistently provide care to people in the way they explained to us. During this inspection we saw multiple examples of members of staff moving people in a way that caused an increased risk of injury.

"People did not get their medicines on time or as prescribed. We asked people if they got their medicines when they needed them. Most people were unable to tell us. People's relatives told us there were insufficient numbers of staff available to keep them safe.

"Although staff had an understanding of how to recognise signs of abuse and what procedures were in place should they suspect any abuse had occurred, we saw people sustained injuries such as skin tears as a result of falls.

"We found staff had a limited understanding of how they gained consent from people. One member of staff told us, 'if they refuse we walk away'. However, they went on to explain they had heard other staff tell people they had to put their cream on, 'whether they liked it or not'. We saw staff provided care to people without asking for their consent.

"People who were able to share their views with us told us staff did not always protect their privacy dignity. One person said they wanted to go to their room because it was too noisy in the lounge and staff told they couldn't because they were at risk of falling.

"We saw staff using language which did not promote people's dignity. For example, when one person asked to go to the toilet after they had just sat down to eat their lunch, the member of staff shouted, 'I knew you would do that'. We heard staff speak to people in an undignified way."

Quality Homes, which runs Leighswood, said it had 'removed' the home's previous manager and had righted all the wrongs highlighted by the CQC.

Susan Davies, the general manager at Quality Homes, said: "As a result of this report we have removed the manager. Everything that was wrong has been put right and we are now waiting for a new CQC inspection and rating which will hopefully come in the next few weeks."