Care home under new owner put in special measures

A care home has been placed in special measures after being rated "inadequate" in its first inspection under new ownership.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) downgraded Thomas Edward Mitton House in Milton Keynes from "requires improvement" following an assessment carried out in April and May.

Inspectors found that the home, which looks after up to 16 people primarily for rehabilitation after brain injuries, failed to monitor residents' recovery progress or set clear goals.

Brainkind, which has operated the home since December 2024, told the BBC it had already begun to address the issues that were raised.

The home was rated as "requires improvement" when it was run by Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust in October 2021.

Following the latest inspection, the service was deemed to be "inadequate" in terms of being safe, effective and well-led, and received a "requires improvement" rating in terms of being caring and responsive.

The home was found to have breached legal regulations regarding good governance, safe care and treatment, safeguarding, person-centred care and staffing.

Inspectors found it was unclear what progress residents were making and records about people's rehabilitation lacked detail.

When residents refused therapy sessions, staff failed to offer appropriate support or encouragement to help them understand the importance of those sessions.

Some residents had to return to hospital because initial assessments failed to identify they were too unwell for the facility.

A Brainkind spokesperson said: "To support Thomas Edward Mitton House with the necessary improvements, we have already made some changes to the management team... by seconding senior managers, and we are also developing the local leadership team.

"We have developed a robust improvement and action plan for all the areas that the CQC has highlighted need improvement."

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