West Sussex care home placed in 'special measures to protect people' after damning report

The Care Quality Commission found that people at Greenways care home in Copthorne were not always allowed to shower when they wanted or to choose what food they wanted to eat. One person was locked in a room for long periods of time without supervision.

Greenways – run by Adelaide Care – which cares for up to six people with complex disabilities including autism and epilepsy, has now been placed in ‘special measures’ and warned that further action will be taken if ‘rapid and widespread improvements’ are not taken.

The action follows an inspection by the Care Quality Commission in February and March after concerns about the quality of care there.

In a report just out, the commission has dropped the home’s rating from good to inadequate. Natalie Reed, CQC deputy director of operations in the south, said: “When we assessed Greenways, it was concerning to see the lack of strong leadership displayed by the provider, Adelaide Care Limited, and the culture it created didn’t enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

“We found that incidents and accidents weren’t always recorded in detail with actions taken on how to reduce the risk of them happening again. Staff weren’t consistently keeping records when someone diagnosed with epilepsy had a seizure.

"In another case, someone experienced heightened anxiety around another resident but details about this, so it could be avoided in future, were lacking.

“The service wasn’t supporting people to live independently, and decisions weren’t always made in their best interest. Staff locked a resident into their living space for long periods of time, with no way for them to visually monitor their wellbeing while this occurred. This restrictive practice is unacceptable.

“In addition, we found people weren’t always supported to make choices about their care, including showering when they wanted, being able to use all of the communal areas freely, or helping to choose the food they would eat.

"One person’s care plan listed domestic tasks for them to complete and noted staff might need to prompt them if they refused, however we saw no guidance on the person’s right to decline or whether the activities benefitted their wellbeing.

“We were also concerned to find there wasn’t enough staff to support people and that their working hours were unsafe. Records showed some staff had worked 90-hour weeks with back-to-back shifts, which didn’t allow time for them to properly rest.

"We have told Greenways where we expect to see rapid and widespread improvements and will continue to monitor them closely to keep people safe while this happens. We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to take action if people are not receiving the care they have a right to expect.”

CQC also found that not all staff had completed all mandatory training and staff supervisions were not identifying shortfalls in the care provided.

The CQC pointed out that health and social care professionals gave positive feedback about Greenways but said that assessors found leaders and staff were not always giving accurate feedback about people’s care.

Adelaide Care has been approached for comment.