A damning inspection found residents lost 'significant' weight and were put at harm at a specialist dementia care home in Walsall. Anson Court Residential Home was given the lowest rating of 'inadequate' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which raised serious concerns about the safety, effectiveness and leadership of the service.
A report said the home, in Harden Road, Walsall, had been inspected in November last year and rated as 'requires improvement' but had deteriorated further since then. Among the concerns highlighted now were three people losing significant weight in six months, unsafe practices in moving two residents, people trying to get into others' rooms at night and a half-chewed tablet being found on the floor and handed to an inspector.
Despite the issues raised by the CQC, people and their relatives gave positive feedback about staff and the home, saying they were treated with respect and dignity. A spokesperson for Anson Court said they were disappointed with the findings of the report but were working to address concerns and improve services provided.
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When discussing safety at the home, the report said: "Since our last inspection in November 2021, we saw three people had lost significant weight over the last six months. The provider had failed to identify the weight loss and no action had been taken to check people were not malnourished or the weight loss was being caused by other health conditions.
"This meant people were put at risk of potential, avoidable harm because any underlying health condition, contributing or causing the weight loss, had not been considered or referred for further consultation with health professionals, such as the GP or dietician.
"Prior to the inspection we had received information of concern relating to the moving and transferring of people who required the support of a hoist or similar equipment. Conversations with staff confirmed unsafe practices had been used to move two people."
It added: "A situation had developed in the home which had the potential to put people at serious risk of harm. Two people told us how unpleasant it was at night for them with people banging on their bedroom doors trying to get in. A relative told us, "It's like living on a knife edge" when they visited the home.
"A number of incidents had occurred and staff did not have the necessary knowledge and skills to support the people involved safely. One person found a half-chewed tablet on the floor and gave it to the inspector. It could not be confirmed what the tablet was, who it had been administered to or how long it had been on the floor."
Inspectors also concluded the home was not well led with records not always complete and care plan reviews being poor. In the areas of whether the services were caring and responsive, inspectors said they required improvement.
A spokesperson for Anson Court said: "Anson Court Residential Home is a long-standing member of the Walsall community and remains committed to the ongoing provision of safe, high-quality, person-centred care for all residents. Anson Court Residential Home has reviewed the CQC Inspection Report published on 16 July 2022.
"The home is disappointed at the findings of this report, however takes all concerns raised seriously and continues to work in consultation with the CQC and the local authority to address these. The home continues to receive support from expert healthcare consultants in shaping ongoing care quality improvements to continue to meet the needs of all residents."
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