Serious incidents, deaths and failure to keep elderly residents safe.
These are just some of the concerns emerging from the latest reports into some of the worst care homes in and around Birmingham.
Two deaths, one as a result of a resident choking, and several accidents in which investigations were ongoing has led to inspections by the Care Quality Commission.
One person complained about a man masturbating in the communal area and said the staff didn't intervene while another said their family member often had dirty feet and dirty fingernails.
At one home residents told inspectors they could be left waiting for up to three hours for help.
These are the worst-rated homes in Birmingham and nearby areas based on the most recently published inspection reports.
The ratings were handed out by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the data was taken from its website on October 1, 2019.
Inspectors assessed each care home on five categories based on safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness and leadership, before an overall rating was given.
Analysis of 809 care homes within 15 miles of Birmingham city centre highlighted the state of care across the region.
Twelve were rated inadequate and 148 listed as requires improvement.
This year 11 were classed as outstanding and 609 care homes were rated as good.
In total 592 were residential homes with the remainder nursing homes with 383 of the total number, caring for people with dementia and Alzheimer's.
The vast majority were for adults aged 65 and over and only 16 provided care for children and teenagers.
Below is the list of the 12 care homes currently rated inadequate following CQC inspections and a summary of what was published in the reports which followed. BirminghamLive has contacted each care home for comment.
Address: 135-137 Church Lane, Handsworth, B20 2HJ
Latest report: 17 September 2019
Inspection date: 17 April 2019
The inspection was prompted in part by the death of a resident but the incident is under criminal investigation so the CQC did not examine the circumstances of it.
It was accused of not effectively managing peoples risks to help keep them safe.
Investigators said they found a breach of the regulations because of serious concerns around fire safety, the premises and managing people's choking risks.
The report said the care home did not learn from a previous choking incident where a person died in September 2018 and that people were exposed to a significant risk of harm.
Altercations between people at the care home were not always responded to appropriately to help protect people from harm and abuse.
The inspector wrote: Medicines management and infection control processes were not consistently safe.
We also found staff were not always suitably deployed to meet all people's needs.
Kitchen staff didnt have enough knowledge of peoples dietary risks and preferences, including one persons religious needs, according to the report.
What did the care home say:
Birmingham Live made repeated attempts to contact the care home for comment but has been unable to reach anyone.
Address: Johns Lane, Tipton, DY4 7PS
Latest report: 15 July 2019
Inspection date: 15 May 2019
The care home was inspected because of an incident where a person using the service died. The inspection did not reveal the circumstances of the incident because of an ongoing investigation at the time.
The report said people were not safeguarded from abuse as allegations were not always investigated.
The care home was accused of not consistently managing risks to people and left them at risk of harm.
Staff said they had not received the training they needed to support people effectively.
One employee said: "We aren't trained in restraint so when someone is being disruptive, there is nothing we can do.
The investigator said people were not consistently treated with dignity as one person's care records showed that staff were told to remove game consoles until a person acting aggressively finally engaged with staff.
What did the care home say:
A spokesman for Oak House said: Since this report was published in the spring we have a new senior management team and we are already improving that quality of care.
Address: Mill Farm Road, Harborne, B17 0QX
Latest report: 10 August 2019
Inspection date: 19 March 2019
The inspection was prompted in part by notification of a serious incident where one resident had choked on their food and needed staff to help them stop choking.
The registered managers did not always record when incidents occurred - including the choking incident one week before the inspection.
Staff were also accused of not administering medicine safely and one person said: There was one occasion when I took too many tablets, staff gave me the wrong instructions and so I took too many.
This made me ill. I take my own medicine now, as staff were doing it wrong.
Staff at the Kenrick Centre have not been offered training in caring for people with dementia since 2014, despite the fact people with dementia live in the care home, the report said.
The investigator said people were not always treated with dignity and on one occasion saw a person being supported to go to the toilet with the door left open.
The reported said there was not a culture of open and honest dialogue, when mistakes were made, to ensure staff reported errors when they happened.
What did the care home say:
A spokesman for Birmingham City Council, the care provider, said: Representatives from the commission stated that they were reasonably assured that BCC as a provider has addressed the concerns that were raised in the inspection and has a robust plan to monitor the proposed changes.
A mid-point review was undertaken in October 2019 and it was identified that significant improvements have made been in respect of risk management, activities, training, leadership of the service, and medicine management.
Address: 29 Nordley Road Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, WV11 1PX
Latest report: 12 March 2019
Inspection date: 17 December 2018
The inspection was prompted by concerns received from agencies, including Wolverhampton City Council, about people not receiving the appropriate care that kept them safe and ensured their needs were met.
A social worker had been told by relatives that one persons feet were often dirty and they could be left to walk in bare feet, and had dirty fingernails.
There was also an unexpected death at the care home which was being investigated at the time.
At the time there was not a sufficient number of staff on the dementia care unit.
Staff were not always able to respond to these people and ensure their safety.
In the report an employee at the care home said one person enters the bedroom of other residents and urinates on the floor regularly.
A relative of a resident said: Two weeks ago, there was a [person] in the communal area masturbating, no staff intervened, they need more staff.
The report reads: People did not consistently have their medicines in a safe way. For example, we saw that an agency nurse on the second day of inspection, where it was their first shift at the home, had been asked to carry out the medicines round without an induction.
Meal time at the dementia unit was not relaxed and they observed a delay in the serving of lunches and people were sat down for up to 30 minutes before the meal arrived.
What did the care home say:
A spokesman for the care home said: "Bentley Court was re-inspected by the CQC in October. We have received the final report and the site is now rated Requires Improvement and is out of special measures.
"There remains further work to be done, but we are seeing strong progress under the leadership of a new manager and we are continuing to work with residents and relatives to implement more improvements which includes a considerable refurbishment, improved activities and more staff training.
"Our foremost priority remains delivering high quality care for all of our residents.
Address: Cedar Park Road, Batchley, Redditch, B97 6HP
Latest report: 29 August 2019
Inspection date: 2 July 2019
The inspection was prompted by concerns received about safe clinical care and capability of the staff.
The care home was accused of not always monitoring or reviewing risks to peoples safety and residents told investigators their care needs were not met in a timely way.
The report also found people's medicines were not always managed and stored in a safe way.
One resident was asleep and didnt receive medicine for their heart and the nurse didnt try and offer the medicine later and destroyed it, according to the report.
Some people were at risk of dehydration as systems in place were not effective in making sure people who required support were received this.
Residents told the investigators they had to wait their turn for support and could be left waiting for up to three hours.
What did the care home say:
The care home refused to comment.
Address: Bourne Street, Woodsetton, Dudley, WV14 9HN
Latest report: 23 August 2019
Inspection date: 5 June 2019
The inspection was a result of an incident, under investigation at the time, so the circumstances of it were not included in the report.
The report said people in the care home had not been safeguarded from alleged abuse.
Where they received serious allegations of abuse against people and been provided with evidence, effective action had not been taken to protect people while it was being investigated.
The investigators saw in records that staff had witnessed people being placed at risk of harm and not reported this to the manager.
During the inspection there were occasions when people had not received their medicines, received the wrong dose of medicine or received their medicines at the wrong time and this caused some people pain.
Investigators were told by people that there were not enough staff to meet their needs.
A resident said: "There aren't enough staff, they don't come quickly when you press the buzzer, you have to wait a long time, they are so busy and you think they are never going to come.
There were mixed reviews of the food served, one person said the food was rubbish and wouldn't give it to their dog while another said the food is very good.
The care homes records showed an ambulance had to be called for one resident after they experienced diabetic symptoms when they decided not to follow their tailored diet plan.
What did the care home say:
The care home has refused to comment.
Address: 16 Dudley Park Road, Birmingham, B27 6QR
Latest report: 4 October 2019
Inspection date: 11 July 2019
The care home was accused of allowing a member of staff, who was at the centre of a safeguarding issue at the time, to return to work before the investigation was complete which did not help protect people.
The investigator said one person had a known risk of making allegations of abuse but the person's claims were not monitored and logged.
Staff knew how to report concerns but appropriate action wasnt taken to respond according to the report.
People did not have dementia care plans and staff had not received training and support to help meet the needs of people in the care home living with dementia.
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The worst rated care homes in and near Birmingham - Birmingham Live
