Chandos Lodge Nursing Home

The inspection was carried out in response to safety concerns received about the service and to follow up on previous breaches of regulations. We found the provider remained in breach of regulations and we identified 8 breaches of regulations relating to safe care and treatment, safeguarding, staffing, recruitment, person-centred care, consent, governance, and the provider’s failure to notify the Commission of notifiable incidents at this inspection.

Risks to people were not always identified or effectively mitigated, which meant people were exposed to the risk of harm. People were not safeguarded from the risk of abuse, and the service was not working in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This meant people were not always supported through appropriate decision-making processes placing them at increased risk of abuse and harm. Staff were not safely recruited with staffing levels not always sufficient to meet people’s needs. Training was not consistently embedded in practice, and some staff had not received training required for their roles.

Person-centred care was not consistently provided. Assessments were not fully completed, effective, and people’s choices, privacy and dignity were not promoted. The service was not appropriately managed, governance systems were not effective and had failed to identify and address the concerns we found. Records were not always accurate, complete or maintained in line with best practice and the service had not informed us of all notifiable incidents as required.

This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide.

In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to breaches of regulations relating to person centred care, consent, staffing and notifications of incidents to us to enable us to monitor progress within the service.