Care home closes after inspection highlights failings
A Maidstone care home that looks after people with learning disabilities has shut following a damning report.
An inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found Elmwood, in Loose Road, was not meeting standards in all 11 areas judged.
Serious concerns were raised about the way in which decisions were taken for patients who did not have the capacity to consent, and the provision of medicines.
This week manager Heeramun Oozageer claimed he was being victimised by the CQC and that parts of the report were unfair or untrue.
Before shutting the home on Monday, he said: “I am closing voluntarily – I regret taking it on. I have had enough of it. I did my best and treated residents with dignity and respect. It was doing a good job of looking after people.”
Mr Oozageer, who has 16 years of experience in the care sector, took Elmwood Care Home on in November 2013.
He said places have been found for the home’s six residents – one as far afield as East Sussex but most in Maidstone or elsewhere in Kent.
Unannounced
The report followed an unannounced inspection on August 13, and interviews with staff, residents or their families – many of whom had Down’s syndrome.
The CQC was due to report back on Elmwood’s progress to address the 11 areas, all marked down for action.
While it acknowledged that the staff were “kind and attentive” it noted some had not received proper training, for instance to deal with residents with epilepsy.
It continued: “When a person was in pain, staff had to contact the manager to request pain relief. This meant there were delays in people receiving medicines.”
There were concerns raised about how, where people did not have the capacity to consent, the provider had not always acted in accordance with legal requirements.
The report said that one person was restricted from leaving the home for more than one afternoon each week, despite frequently going to the front door which is how staff recognised that they wanted to go out.
Cleanliness and record-keeping were also criticised. A CQC spokesman said: “We advised the provider we were planning to take enforcement action to protect people living in the home.
“Subsequently, the provider has advised us that he has closed the home voluntarily.”