Care home put residents 'at risk of harm'
GoogleA care home has been placed into special measures after inspectors found residents were "at risk of harm".
An inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February and March saw Aston House in Hereford downgraded from requires improvement to inadequate.
The service was found to be in breach of five regulations in relation to person-centred care, consent to care and treatment, safe care and treatment, good management and staffing.
Heather Gregory, manager at Aston House, said: "We are disappointed by the findings of the CQC and take them extremely seriously. Following the inspection, we acted immediately."
She added the care home was in the process of appointing new leadership with the aim of strengthening processes, and implementing a clear improvement plan.
The care home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 19 people with mental health support.
The CQC inspection was prompted in part by the death of a person using the service, which is subject to further investigation by the watchdog.
As a result, the latest inspection did not examine the circumstances of the death but did assess potential concerns around the management of risk.
'We were disappointed'
Amanda Lyndon, the CQC's deputy director of adult social care for the West Midlands, said: "When we inspected Aston House, we were disappointed to find a service which didn't provide safe care or proactively identify and manage risks to people, putting them at risk of harm.
"While people told us that staff were kind and respectful, there weren't always enough staff on duty to meet their needs.
"Staff also hadn't received the training they needed to provide a good service."
The CQC said it would return to check on the care home's progress and proposed using its regulatory powers further to ensure people using the service were "receiving the care they have a right to expect".
A statement from Gregory added: "We would like to reassure our residents and their families that their safety, wellbeing and dignity remain our highest priority.
"We are already seeing positive progress, and we are committed to making the further improvements needed to ensure consistently high-quality care."
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