'I've reported three care homes in four years'

"One home would be bad enough but not three, all in a short time."

Former milkman Tony Fowler, 66, from Leicestershire said he had raised concerns he had about three care homes in the last four years to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Mr Fowler said he had been a regular visitor to care homes in the Melton area as he had built up relationships with some of his elderly customers, which he maintained after they went into care.

He is now calling on the CQC to inspect homes annually and hand out fines. A CQC spokesperson said the frequency of its inspections depended on previous findings and information received.

Tony Fowler, who ran a milk and grocery delivery business, said he used to check in on his elderly customers across 26 villages in north Leicestershire.

"We all expect as we get elderly to be looked after and cared for in a comfortable manner and when this doesn't happen, small things add up to make life a misery really," Mr Fowler said.

The latest care home which Mr Fowler complained about was The Amwell near Melton.

It was rated as inadequate by the CQC last month after an inspection in December 2024. A spokesperson for the home said a new leadership team has now been put in place.

"The quality of life that my friend received had been very poor, often he hadn't been washed or changed [he was incontinent].

"You'd often go into his room and the smell of urination sometimes brought tears to your eyes, you couldn't be in the room for more than half an hour," he said.

Mr Fowler admitted that caring for the elderly was a difficult job but said at times he would find it upsetting to visit and had witnessed residents left in their rooms calling for help in the evenings.

"One of them was a blind person who'd been left some food but nobody was helping her to eat.

"It can be quite upsetting for the person seeing it and obviously the person involved as well," he said.

A spokesperson for The Amwell Care Home said the "health and wellbeing of our residents is our absolute priority".

"We take all feedback extremely seriously and have invested in long-term action, working tirelessly to ensure we are delivering the highest standards of care.

"We are in discussion with Mr Fowler to address his concerns about previous challenges in the home, and we would like to reassure our residents and their families that the findings of last year's CQC inspection are in no way reflective of the current high quality of care being delivered at the home today.

"We remain committed to delivering the highest standards for the people in our care, and our significant progress has been recognised by the local authority which is satisfied with the action we have taken.

"We look forward to welcoming the CQC back to our home, and we are confident that they will reaffirm the positive steps that have been made."

Mr Fowler said he had made complaints about two other care homes, including one where he said his friend received inadequate care.

"I had to wash his hair, cut his hair and shave him," he said.

"When he was done you showed him himself in the mirror and he smiled, he felt good."

Mr Fowler is now calling on the CQC to hold annual checks on all care homes similar to a car MOT.

"These are people who are vulnerable and elderly, when you've worked hard all your life you expect the minimum at least of care, not to be short changed. It's heart breaking," he said.

A CQC spokesperson said: "The frequency of our inspections depends on previous inspection findings and ratings, information we receive and evidence we collect.

"The CQC can use its enforcement powers when care isn't meeting the standard that people should expect. This can include imposing conditions, suspending or cancelling a service's registration, issuing fines, and in some cases a prosecution."

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