Teignbridge care home rated inadequate

A care home in Devon has been placed in special measures following an unannounced inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Teignbridge House Care Home which cares for up to 24 people, received an overall inadequate rating.

Inspectors said the home in Shaldon fell short in fire safety, infection control and safeguarding.

The home said it was disappointed with the inspection results and had implemented an improvement plan.

Inspectors visited the property in May and noted the provider "failed to protect people from abuse or improper treatment".

The report said: "During our inspection, we followed up on concerns about the wellbeing of one person and their treatment by some staff, including the actions of one staff member."

As a result, the inspectors made a safeguarding alert to the local authority.

A second safeguarding alert was made for another person who was unhappy with their appearance, which inspectors said "had been neglected".

The report raised concerns that the provider had not ensured those applying for jobs were suitable to work in a care home setting.

Other issues included staff not considering the risk of cross infection when they walked around the home wearing gloves.

In the previous two inspections the provider had failed to "robustly assess the risks relating to the health safety and welfare of people" in breach of the Health and Social Care Act.

The provider remained in breach following the latest inspection.

Carers said staffing levels were too low in the afternoons, and residents told inspectors that staff were too busy to stop and chat.

Residents and relatives commented that catering staff went the "extra mile" and that care staff were friendly and made them feel safe.

One person told inspectors that staff "do know your needs and will do what they can to help" and "know if I'm unwell".

Relatives were said to be confident staff would contact health professionals if needed but, along with residents, had complained about laundry getting lost.

Responding to the report, Michael Burnham, from Teignbridge House, said the feedback had been taken "very seriously" and they had brought in an improvement plan with the help of an independent consultant.

Mr Burnham, who said they had made progress since the inspection, added: "We have met with the people living at Teignbridge House who have expressed how happy they feel with the care and support they are currently receiving at Teignbridge House."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].