Restgarth Care Home in Looe Rated Inadequate by CQC

The Care Quality Commission has taken urgent action at Restgarth Care Home in Looe after an inspection in September found serious failings across all areas of care. The home, which supports up to 32 older people including those living with dementia, is run by Orange Care Restgarth Limited.

Urgent Conditions Imposed

Restgarth Care Home has been rated inadequate for being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. Inspectors visited as this was the first inspection since the current owner registered the service.

Following the visit, the CQC placed urgent conditions on the home’s registration. These require leaders to make immediate safety improvements and send monthly updates on how risks are being reduced. The conditions also prevent the home from admitting new residents or readmitting previous ones without CQC approval.

The service has also been placed into special measures, which means close monitoring while improvements are made within a set timeframe.

What Inspectors Found

Stefan Kallee, CQC deputy director of adult social care in Cornwall, said:

“When we inspected Restgarth Care Home, we found leaders weren’t managing the home well putting people at serious risk of harm.

“We found people were being left without support for unacceptably long periods during the day. Our inspectors reviewed CCTV footage which showed one person was taken to the dining room for breakfast at 9am, then left in their chair until 6pm without any further support. This is completely unacceptable and places people at serious risk of neglect and harm.

“Care plans were incomplete and out of date, which meant staff didn’t have the information they needed to support people properly. One person had been identified as being at risk of weight loss by a dietician, but records indicated they hadn’t eaten breakfast for six days in a row. There was no guidance for staff on how to encourage them to eat, and they hadn’t been weighed for two months despite care plans stating this should happen monthly.

“We also found people weren’t being supported with basic dignity and respect. Systems to monitor people’s skin integrity to avoid things like pressure sores weren’t working. Following our inspection, staff checked people and found six individuals with redness that appeared to be due to poor continence care.

“Leaders had identified areas for improvement but actions to address these had not been effective and the same poor practices kept happening. Throughout the inspection, staff told us they felt unable to raise concerns because when they had raised issues previously, these were dismissed or ignored.

“We’ve shared our findings with Restgarth Care Home and imposed urgent conditions on its registration to focus attention on making rapid improvements. We’ll continue to monitor the home closely while this happens to ensure people are kept safe.”

Key Issues Highlighted

Inspectors reported a series of concerns including:

• No permanent manager in place, with managers from sister homes rarely visiting and the deputy manager lacking time for essential tasks such as reviewing care plans.

• A resident being given medication containing an animal product despite telling staff they were vegetarian. Staff were unaware of the medication’s ingredients and the care plan did not show informed consent.

• A dirty kitchen with sticky floors and unswept areas, and scheduled deep cleans not being carried out. One staff member told inspectors the kitchen had not been deep cleaned for about a year.

• Leaders not supporting staff properly and failing to provide regular supervisions.

The CQC stated the home’s failings placed people at serious risk.

The full CQC report is available to read here