Care home put under special measures by watchdog

A care home in Cornwall, which provides personal and residential care for older people who may have a physical disability, has been placed in special measures.

The inspection at St Petroc's Care Home in Bodmin, which is run by Stonehaven (Healthcare) Ltd, was partly prompted by the death of a person who used the service, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said.

Catherine Campbell, the watchdog's deputy director of operations in the south, said a lack of strong leadership "was exposing people to a risk of abuse and harm".

The operator of the home said immediate action had been taken to address concerns and ensure all residents were safe.

The watchdog said St Petroc's rating had dropped from "good" to "inadequate" as a result of the investigation, and it had served four warning notices to "focus their attention on making rapid and widespread improvements".

It highlighted safe care and treatment, consent to care, safeguarding, and the management of the service as areas to be developed.

Inspectors found care was not "private or dignified" and saw staff providing personal care in bathrooms with the door open.

Ms Campbell said: "Vulnerable people were relying on all staff members to act as their advocates, to help them live their best lives, and it is unacceptable the people they relied on were treating them this way."

She said the investigation had also found staff "subjected people to restrictive practices by delivering personal care without consent".

The watchdog would not hesitate to use regulatory powers further "if people are not receiving the care they have a right to expect", said Ms Campbell.

Regarding the death which partly prompted the investigation, the CQC said this inspection did not examine the circumstances surrounding it, but added the incident was still subject to further investigation by the watchdog.

Victoria Bragg, CQC operations manager in Cornwall, said: "People's dignity was not always maintained.

"We saw staff members providing personal care with the doors open which is not acceptable."

She said staff had used "unplanned restraint" and risk assessments and people's care plans "were not accurate or detailed enough to ensure safe and effective care".

She said there had been improvements since the inspection.

"We are happy with what we're hearing at the moment but of course we'll be inspecting in due course to see the impact on the care provided," she said.

The CQC made safeguarding alerts about seven residents to Cornwall Council and raised their concerns with the care provider.

The council said there were currently 14 council-funded people living at the home.

It said it had "been working with the home and supporting residents and their families following the inspection last year".

"We have worked with the management team at the home who have since made significant improvements, and our Quality Assurance team and social work teams have been a regular presence to make sure residents are being well cared for," it said.

Nathan Stone, director of services development and HR at Stonehaven, said the company had implemented "a significant number of changes".

After the post-inspection departure of the previous manager, Mr Stone said a new manager was in place "providing strong, focussed and person-centred leadership".

The care home said it had made "significant improvements" working alongside safeguarding teams at the council and new admissions had been paused until all issues had been resolved.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].