Care home rated inadequate for second time in six months

During the latest inspection, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that Dalton Court Care Home was failing to provide care which was safe or well led.

It also said other areas - being effective, caring, or responsive to people’s needs - required improvement.

The Europe Way home is run by Amore Elderly Care Limited. It can accommodate up to 60 people and provides general and specialist dementia nursing care.

The home has been inspected seven times since May 2015, the latest one was the fifth time a visit by inspectors has resulted in it being put into or kept in special measures.

The home was deemed inadequate and placed in special measures in December 2017.

In the latest inspection, which was unannounced and took place over three days in July, the inspector said: "The service has now been rated indequate once again for the second time in six months.

"While we did find that the provider and interim manager had made improvements in areas that had been prioritised by them, we found that the initial pace of improvement had not been sustained and other important areas were still giving cause for concern."

Inspectors found the home was failing to provide care which was safe or well led.

They said:

The service was not safe.

People were not protected from abuse; staff did not always recognise the signs and therefore were not reporting allegations of abuse.

Staffing levels were not always meeting the needs of people in the home.

Risk assessments were not being carried out effectively to reduce risk to people in the home.

The service was not well-led.

It has a poor record and history of not meeting legal requirements.

Systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service were ineffective.

Previously identified risks had not been addressed by the provider.

The inspector said other areas - being effective, caring, or responsive to people’s needs - required improvement.

They found:

The service was not always effective, caring or responsive.

Staff received a programme of training however, more specialist training was required in dementia care and for behaviours that may challenge the service.

People’s ability to make decisions was not always assessed in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act.

Complaints were not being carried out thoroughly. Verbal complaints were not recorded.

The majority of people spoke positively about staff. However, this was not consistent across the staff team.

A spokesperson for the home said: "We take the CQC’s report seriously and we have put in place a robust and comprehensive plan to address the matters raised.

"Senior managers continue to work closely with all stakeholders to ensure that we deliver the high standard of care our residents and their relatives expect.”

A CQC spokesperson said: “CQC inspectors returned to Dalton Court Care Home in July this year to check whether required improvements had been made.

"The service was rated Inadequate overall and it remains in special measures.

“Enforcement action is being considered in line with special measures and inspectors continue to monitor the home very closely, alongside their partner agencies.”