Staff at ‘inadequate’ care home label elderly residents 'wanderers and feeders’

Brenalwood Care Home, in Hall Lane, has been placed in special measures following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

Inspectors have warned it could be closed if significant improvements are not made.

The home was found to be unclean and unhygienic, and staff referred to people as "wanderers" and "feeders".

The service, which cares for people over 65 including some who are living with dementia, had previously been rated “good”.

But the inspection in June was prompted after concerns were raised about staffing levels, the standard of the premises, infection control and management.

Inspectors found there had an increase in unexplained injuries and bruising to people, as well as regular altercations between residents, but the service failed to inform the local authority or the CQC.

Inadequate - Brenalwood Care Home, in Hall Lane, Walton

Residents also had to wait for personal care, such as accessing the toilet, and dried faeces were found in several areas, including on the headboard of a resident’s bed.

Louise Broddle, the CQC’s head of adult social care inspection, said: “The premises were unclean and unhygienic, and there weren’t enough staff to safely care for people.

“There were a high number of unwitnessed falls resulting in injuries to people, which weren’t reported or investigated properly so that similar risks could be minimised in the future.

“It was appalling to hear people being referred to by staff as ‘wanderers’, ‘feeders’ and ‘double-ups’.

“This language is completely unacceptable and doesn’t respect people’s dignity or make them feel like they matter.

“The service has breached a number of regulations and we’ve been clear about the improvements that need to be urgently made.

“We’ve placed the service in special measures and requested an action plan.

“We will continue to monitor the service closely and will not hesitate to take further action if we are not assured it is making the necessary improvements to keep people safe.”

Further action could include imposing restrictions on its registration or shutting the home.

A spokesman for Regal Care, which runs the site, said: "We are working very closely with our lead CQC inspector, local authority quality and compliance teams and our safeguarding team.

"Since the targeted inspection the team at the Brenalwood Care Home has rectified all issues identified in the CQC inspection, we have a comprehensive Service Improvement Plan in place and this is shared with our lead CQC inspector on a  weekly basis.

"The home has commenced its planned refurbishment and we look forward to welcoming the CQC for their re-inspection, we are confident that all areas of concern raised were actioned immediately and significant progress has been made against each action on our improvement plan.

"The manager has strengthened her quality and compliance systems and our recruitment to our housekeeping posts have been successfully completed.

"All our staff are skilled to work in our care home and all staff are fully compliant with their mandatory training."