Knaresborough GP surgery rated ‘outstanding’CQC gives verdict on Harrogate supported living providerHarrogate and Ripon care provider ‘requires improvement’, report findsCritical report finds ‘significant shortfalls’ at Harrogate care home

A care home in Harrogate has been found to have “widespread and significant shortfalls in leadership” in a highly critical inspection report.

Avon Lodge on Harlow Moor Drive was rated ‘requires improvement’ by the Care Quality Commission, while its leadership was found to be ‘inadequate’ in a report published this week.

In the report, which followed an unannounced two-day inspection in February, inspectors downgraded Avon Lodge from its previous ‘good’ rating and said:

“The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the quality of care being provided to people. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks… We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements…

“The provider acknowledged the shortfalls found during this inspection. They took some action following the first day of inspection to begin to address some of the shortfalls found regarding the environment and fire safety.

“The overall rating for the service has changed from ‘good’ to ‘requires improvement’ based on the findings of this inspection.”

The inspection assessed three key areas, asking if the service was safe, effective, and well-led. The latter was rated ‘inadequate;, while the other two were ‘good’.

The areas of ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’ were not assessed during the inspection and are still rated ‘good’, having last been assessed in 2019.

In their latest visit, inspectors found there were multiple breaches of regulations relating to administering medicine, reporting concerns about safeguarding, and carrying out risk assessments. They concluded:

“Some aspects of the service were not always safe and there was limited assurance about safety. There was an increased risk that people could be harmed.”

Personal care needs

Avon Lodge cares for adults with personal care needs, including some with mental health issues, learning disabilities and autism. It has space for up to 12 people and 11 were resident when the inspection took place.

At that time, the home was being run by a temporary manager, after its registered manager had left the post. A permanent replacement was being recruited, the report said.

Looking at the leadership of the care home, the inspectors said:

“There were widespread and significant shortfalls in service leadership. Leaders and the culture they created did not assure the delivery of high-quality care.”

They added:

“There had been no recent engagement with people or their relatives to gather their views on the service. All the relatives we spoke with told us they had not received a questionnaire or been asked for their views. One relative told us, ‘Not for a long while, we got invited to a meeting once that was cancelled.’

“Professional visits to the home or people’s visit to healthcare professionals were not recorded effectively therefore there was no oversight of this contact.”

Inspectors also looked at the way the Mental Capacity Act was used. It is designed to ensure people are allowed to make their own decisions where possible, and when they are not able to do so that the decisions made are in their best interests.

They found there was inadequate record-keeping relating to its use and decisions made for people who were unable to consent.

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Inspectors also found the environment of the care home was not always supportive of its residents.

They reported it was often loud and led to them being woken up, while some communal areas were out of use, and some soft furnishings to make it more homely, such as curtains, were missing.

There was poor record-keeping relating to residents’ allergies and family members said the meals provided at the home were not varied enough.

Inspectors made several recommendations in the report of ways in which Avon Lodge should be improved. They also said:

“The provider agreed with the shortfalls found during inspection and took some immediate action.

“The provider took on board the inspection feedback and discussed plans of how they would communicate with people and relatives about the inspection findings and action they were going to take as a result.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Avon Lodge and its owner, Care Network Solutions Ltd, to ask for a response to the report. However, we had not received a reply by the time of publication.

‘Rodent dropping’ Harrogate care home no longer registered

The Harrogate care home where rodent droppings were found is no longer registered by the Care Quality Commission.

Government inspectors put Mary Fisher House in special measures this year after discovering rodent droppings in the kitchen and finding some medicine practices to be “unsafe”.

The CQC report detailing the findings, which also said bedrooms “smelt strongly of urine”, was published in April.

The health and social care regulator subsequently said it had “taken action to protect the safety and welfare of people living at the home” by moving them them to other homes.

But it added its legal processes did not allow it to go into further detail at the time because care provider Svivekcaregroup Limited could appeal its findings.

An updated version of the report, released this month after the appeal deadline passed, revealed the CQC had issued notice of a proposal to cancel the home’s registration.

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A CQC spokeswoman told the Stray Ferret enforcement action “did not proceed to the final stage”. When the Stray Ferret asked why not, the spokeswoman said:

“The service is now closed, and no longer active on the CQC’s register. No one is living on site, and as far as CQC is concerned the matter is concluded.”

In June, Svivekcaregroup indicated the home, which catered for up to 24 residents on Cold Bath Road, was likely to reopen.

The Stray Ferret has attempted to contact Svivekcaregroup to ask if it still planned to re-open Mary Fisher House or had other plans for the building but has not received a response.

Harrogate care home where rodent droppings were found plans to reopen

A Harrogate care home that closed after a highly critical report by government inspectors has indicated it plans to reopen after refurbishment.

Mary Fisher House, on Cold Bath Road, was rated inadequate and put into special measures in April by health and social care regulator the Care Quality Commission.

The CQC report, which followed an inspection in February, found evidence of rodent droppings in the kitchen, said some bedrooms smelled of urine, described medicines practices as unsafe and said there were insufficient staff to safely support people.

Residents were subsequently moved out of the four-storey home, which is run by private care provider Svivekcaregroup Care Group Limited.

The final residents left just over a week ago and the home closed.

But a statement by solicitors acting on behalf of Svivekcaregroup indicated the home, which caters for up to 24 residents, is likely to reopen.

The statement said the company was “naturally very disappointed with the CQC report”, adding:

“We have, however, used this as an opportunity to begin implementing a wide-ranging series of improvements and environmental upgrades at the home.

“Regrettably, the pace of the improvements was not as we had envisaged and we have therefore taken the difficult decision to close the home.

“This will enable a full refurbishment to take place and the new systems and processes in development to be completed.

“While we acknowledge and are sorry for the upset this will cause our residents and their families, we feel that this is the most responsible route to ensuring that we are able to deliver safe, good quality care in a welcoming and modern environment.”

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The Stray Ferret asked why the slow pace of the refurbishment had prompted the home’s closure and when it might reopen but we have not received a response.

After the home’s recent closure, Rachel Bowes, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for care and support, said it had been “been working alongside NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group with the home’s owner to try to secure improvements”.

A CQC spokesperson, said it had “taken action to protect the safety and welfare of people living at the home” and its “legal processes do not allow us to go into further detail at this time”.

 

Residents moved from Harrogate care home with rodent droppings

Residents at a Harrogate care home where rodent droppings were found and rooms smelled of urine have been moved to other homes.

Mary Fisher House was rated inadequate and put into special measures in April by the Care Quality Commission, which regulates health and social care.

The CQC report in April, which was based on an inspection in February, found evidence of rodent droppings in the kitchen.

It said some bedrooms smelled of urine, described medicines practices as unsafe and said there were insufficient staff to safely support people.

The four-storey home on Cold Bath Road, which caters for up to 24 residents, relied heavily on agency staff who weren’t properly inducted, it added.

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Claire Harris-Winstanley, manager of the home on Cold Bath Road, confirmed it was closed when the Stray Ferret visited today. However, she said it was not clear yet whether the closure would be permanent and declined to comment further at this stage.

Rachel Bowes, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for care and support, said in a statement today:

“We have taken swift action to find new accommodation for 12 residents of Mary Fisher House following a decision by the owner to close for refurbishment.

“This situation has arisen following a recent Care Quality Commission inspection of the home, which identified problems which needed attention.

“Since then we have been working alongside NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group with the home’s owner to try to secure improvements.”

“The owner has decided the best way forwards is to refurbish the premises and to do so without residents in place. As a consequence we are finding alternative accommodation for the 12 residents the county council has responsibility for.

“We understand the situation may be distressing for those involved and we are working diligently to ensure the process causes the minimum disruption to the residents involved. Our absolute priority is the welfare of those affected by this situation and we have been keeping residents, along with their relatives and representatives, fully informed of developments.”

Safety action

One woman, who had a relative at the £600-a-week home until recently, said she was given nine days to find alternative arrangements.

According to the CQC, the home is run by Svivekcaregroup Limited.

The Stray Ferret has tried to contact the provider but has yet to receive a response.

A CQC spokesperson, said:

 “The CQC carried out an inspection at Mary Fisher House in Harrogate in February 2022.

“As a result we have taken action to protect the safety and welfare of people living at the home.

“Our legal processes do not allow us to go into further detail at this time. All CQC’s action is open to appeal.”

Rodent droppings found in kitchen of Harrogate care home

A Harrogate care home has been put in special measures after inspectors found rodent droppings in the kitchen and some medicine practices were found to be “unsafe”.

The Care Quality Commission inspected Mary Fisher House care home on Cold Bath Road in February.

In a report published yesterday, the care regulator rated the home as “inadequate” and placed it into special measures.

The inspection found that parts of the home, which provides personal and nursing care for up to 24 people, had “not been well maintained and were unsafe”.

Bedrooms “smelt strongly of urine” and there was evidence of rodent droppings in the kitchen.

On occasions, residents had either been given medication late or had not been given any.

It said:

“Medicines practices were unsafe.

“There were occasions whereby people who used the service had received their medicines late or had not been given them, as there were none left. Sufficient and timely actions were not taken to address this.

“A medicines policy was in place, but staff practice was not always in line with this. Staff who administered medicines had not always been trained.”

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Inspectors also found that staffing levels at the home were unsafe, with some reporting that there “wasn’t always enough staff to meet their needs in a timely manner”.

However, the report did find that staff were polite with people at the home and “worked hard to try and meet there needs”.

‘Fallen below standards’

In a statement, the home said it regretted that it had “fallen below the standards expected of us”.

The home, which is run by Svivekcaregroup Limited, said:

“Areas for improvement were identified in the recent inspection and we are committed to working closely with the CQC and North Yorkshire County Council to ensure changes are made quickly to redress this situation.”

Rachel Bowes, North Yorkshire’s assistant director of adult social care, said: 

“The CQC inspection identified some serious failings but we are confident management at Mary Fisher House want to take swift and meaningful action to improve the service they offer.

“We fully intend to support them in that and look forward to seeing progress. We were also pleased to see the CQC report highlighted the fact that staff at Mary Fisher House worked hard to meet the needs of people in their care and people were able to speak freely when the inspection took place.”