Care home probed by Panorama out of special measures
BBCA care home, which was the subject of a BBC Panorama investigation, has been taken out of special measures.
Addison Court, in Crawcrook, Gateshead, is home to more than 50 elderly people, some whom are living with dementia.
An inspection in November 2023 by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) concluded the care home was "not safe" for residents and "people were not always safeguarded from abuse and avoidable harm".
Prestwick Care, which owns and manages Addison Court and is itself owned by Malhotra Care Homes, said its staff had "worked extremely hard to reinstate the home to what it is today" following the latest report.
Prestwick Care, which also manages other care homes in the North East, is owned and operated by Malhotra Care Homes Limited - part of the Malhotra Group PLC - as a separately registered entity.
The CEO of both companies, Bunty Malhotra, said she was "delighted that the CQC has acknowledged the work, care and efforts" of staff and management.
"We are very proud and grateful to our loyal and dedicated staff who have worked extremely hard to reinstate the home to what it is today, a place where residents could feel safe and receive high quality care," she said.
'Much safer' care
Following inspections in March and April this year, Addison Court Care Home was rated "good" by the CQC, with inspectors saying leaders and staff "should be proud of the wide range of improvements".
The service was no longer in breach of regulations, their report said.
Staff spoke positively about the culture and said they were supported in their roles, the watchdog added.
Regional CQC deputy director of operations Victoria Marsden said: "We were pleased to see that leaders had taken on board our feedback from the previous inspection.
"During the inspection, people told us staff always went above-and-beyond to ensure they were happy."
Leaders had created a positive culture which meant staff were able to provide "much safer" care, inspectors found.
In consequence, the overall rating for the home, as well ratings for the categories of safe and well-led, have subsequently moved up from "inadequate" to "good".
In the areas of caring, effectiveness and responsiveness, ratings for the care home have moved from "requires improvement" to "good".
In December 2023, a BBC Panorama investigation appeared to show low staffing levels at Addison Court which health professionals said put vulnerable residents at risk.
At the time, overseas staff at the care home told an undercover BBC reporter they felt "exploited" and prevented from leaving their employment.
One staff member had claimed his contract required him to pay Prestwick Care more than £4,000 if he left the company within five years.
Prestwick Care had denied any suggestion of systematic wrongdoing or bad practice, calling the accusations unfair and inaccurate.