THE Care Quality Commission (CQC) has placed a Redruth care home into special measures to protect people following an inspection in September.

The CQC recently downgraded the overall rating for Garsewednack Residential Home in Redruth, from good to inadequate, after inspectors found that care had deteriorated.

Garsewednack is a care home for up to 21 older people, including people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection, 16 people were living at the home.

Being placed into special measures involves close monitoring to ensure people are safe while they make improvements. The CQC carried out the inspection after being made aware of a number of concerns including staffing levels and people’s care needs not being met.

The service was now in breach of six regulations relating to consent, dignity and respect, safe care and treatment, recruitment, and management of the service. Due to the level of concern identified, inspectors issued four warning notices to the service and another four to the registered manager.

These required immediate improvements in several areas, including the provision of safe care and treatment, the overall management of the service, the way people were treated with dignity and respect, and the delivery of care and treatment in clean, well-maintained premises.

Stefan Kallee, CQC deputy director of adult social care in Cornwall, said: “When we inspected Garsewednack Residential Home, we saw that poor leadership had created an unsafe environment, putting people at risk of harm and neglect.

“We identified several examples where people were placed at risk of harm. For example, staff weren’t following one person’s medical guidance from a health professional, which put them at risk of choking and of inhaling food or fluids into their lungs. We also saw most first-floor windows lacked tamper-proof restrictors, exposing people to the risk of falling from height.

“In addition, the home didn’t always recruit staff safely or in line with their own policy. Leaders weren’t always doing the required background checks for new staff, which increased the risk to people living in the home of being cared for by unsuitable staff.

“Staff told us morale was low, and they often struggled to do their jobs properly due to staff shortages and limited support from management. As a result, parts of the home were cluttered, unclean, and had a strong smell of urine, which is unacceptable for a place people call home.

“Although we saw staff being kind and caring, we also witnessed situations where people’s dignity was disregarded. For example, we saw a staff member supporting someone with their continence needs in a communal lounge, which did not promote dignity or respect.

“We also found significant gaps in how the home monitored food and fluid intake, placing people at risk of dehydration or weight loss. In one instance, there was a 16-hour gap between recorded drinks for one person living there.

“We have told Garsewednack’s leaders exactly where they must make immediate and significant improvements, and we are monitoring the home closely to keep people safe while those changes take place.”