Regulator confirms action taken against care homes

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has confirmed it cancelled the registration of a provider of three Surrey care homes following inadequate ratings at all of them.

The regulator said it took action against Mitchell’s Care Homes Limited to cancel its registration in respect of Rainscombe Bungalow, Rainscombe House and Nutbush Cottage, which provided care to autistic people or people with a learning disability.

A spokesperson said there had been "very little progress" on significant improvements needed which had been highlighted at previous inspections.

A Mitchell's Care Homes Limited spokesperson said "teams worked hard to ensure openness and transparency" and that the decision to close the homes near Horley was made "with great sadness and regret".

They added that the provider continued to dispute many of the claims made in inspection reports and believed the CQC "intended to punish" them for going to appeal.

The provider believed a "significant number of the claims reported have been unfair and undeserved", they added.

The CQC said the provider had exercised its right of appeal to the Care Standards Tribunal to challenge the CQC’s decision, but withdrew the appeal during proceedings.

The Rainscombe House report raised concerns about residents being "at risk of abuse due to institutional neglect".

Inspectors highlighted a "disused radiator against the wall with a large shard of glass leaning up against it" in the garden, and also the risk of harm to people when eating and drinking.

At Rainscombe Bungalow inspectors said staff weren’t following processes to protect people from harm and safeguard them from emotional abuse.

At the third home, Nutbush Cottage, inspectors said they saw staff did not always treat people with honesty and kindness.

Amy Jupp, CQC deputy director of operations in the south, said: "At previous inspections of Rainscombe House we found people weren’t being treated with kindness, compassion and dignity, and this hadn’t improved.

"We saw most staff didn’t acknowledge people’s presence and they didn’t treat the service as the home of the people living there."

She said people were at risk of financial abuse and that at Rainscombe Bungalow records showed the daily balance of people’s personal money did not tally with what had been spent.

The three homes were inspected in June and August, to follow up on progress made since the previous CQC inspections in November 2023.

A Mitchell's spokesperson said the company’s future focus would be on "providing and continually improving the supported care services we deliver in the community".

"We have openly acknowledged shortcomings whenever they were fairly identified and were taking active, positive steps to address aspects of our service and settings," they added.

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