A CARE home in Ilkley has announced its voluntary closure after inspectors reported a catalogue of failings relating to nutrition, safety and care of the residents, some of who are living with dementia.

Troutbeck Care Home on Crossbeck Road has made the announcement following the publication of an inspection report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) where the home, which provides personal and nursing care for up to 52 people, was rated inadequate.

The CQC said that the attitude of staff at the home, run by Maria Mallaband Limited, was poor and uncaring, and on two occasions during the actual inspection in November, the CQC inspectors had to intervene to find staff for residents who were in need.

Sheila Grant, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: “When we inspected Troutbeck Care Home, we found a service where standards had been allowed to slip. A poor culture had developed among staff at all levels, with some displaying a disregard for people’s health and welfare which placed people at risk of harm and neglect.

“It was very concerning to see that it had become normal for staff to ignore risks and incidents where people had come to harm, instead of acting on them. One person had been subject to repeated safeguarding incidents that staff had come to accept as the norm which is totally unacceptable.

“The attitude of staff towards people was poor, uncaring, and lacked empathy and respect. We saw one person showing signs of distress in their bedroom and staff just disregarded them and ignored their call bell.

“People were left for extended periods of time in communal areas with no staff present and people had no way to call for help if they needed it, or in an emergency. On two occasions our inspectors had to intervene to find staff to support people.

“We are aware that since the inspection the service has decided to close voluntarily and we will work with the service and the local authority to ensure the safe transfer and placement of individuals within the service.”

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about nutrition, people’s safety, wound care, and staffing levels.

The service was previously rated good overall, and for being well-led, effective, responsive, and caring. Safe was previously rated requires improvement.

The home has been placed in special measures which means it will be kept under close review to make sure people are safe and, if CQC do not propose to cancel the provider's registration, there will be a re-inspection to check for significant improvements.

The report further found:

  • Risks in the home environment which could cause harm such as hot water outlets and sharp edges hadn’t been identified or acted upon.
  • People weren’t always supported to have enough to eat and drink and people and their relatives made negative comments about the quality of the food.
  • People weren’t supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives.
  • Quality assurance systems at the home were ineffective.
  • Referrals hadn’t been made to other external healthcare professionals when necessary.
  • There were no items of interest or stimulation for people to access independently.
  • Records showed most staff hadn’t received any supervision or an appraisal last year.

A spokesperson for Maria Mallaband Care Group said: “The issues were identified in November at the home by our own internal governance procedures and immediately reported to the appropriate bodies.

"A thorough audit of the home was completed by the business before a significant amount of resources and expertise was invested into addressing the issues within the home as a priority.

"Unfortunately, due to the ongoing challenges experienced around staffing and recruitment, sufficient progress has not been achieved within the timescale to date. Therefore, clear and decisive management decisions have been made to voluntarily close the home and ensure the safe transfer of persons using the service as soon as possible with support from the local authority.

"This closure demonstrates our commitment to the wellbeing of those living at Troutbeck and their families, as we work in conjunction with the local authority and our regulator to act in the best interest of all those concerned.

"The safety and comfort of those living in the home and their safe transfer to alternative accommodation which meets their care needs is our absolute priority, alongside offering family support and consideration for the welfare of our valued hard-working staff.”