Seaside care home at risk of being shut down as inspectors find no improvement to safety failures

Belgrave Court residential care home was first rated inadequate by inspectors in March after they found a string of safety failures including medication errors which led to an operation being cancelled for one resident.

When inspectors returned to the home, which has some 23 residents, in July, they found that it was neither safe nor well led, a report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said.

The report read: “Medicines were not managed safely.

“The provider had implemented an electronic medicine monitoring system. On reviewing this system, we identified the same discrepancies with the administration of time-sensitive medicines as at the last inspection.”

Recruitment checks had not been adequately carried out at the home, inspectors found, with staff not having to give a full employment history before beginning their jobs.

And being short-staffed caused problems at meal times, with just two staff on hand to serve 23 residents – nine of which were supposed to have two staff each to help with eating.

Relatives of residents also expressed dissatisfaction with confusing visiting hours, inspectors found.

A new manager had joined the home, which is run by Vitality Care Homes, but not enough improvement had been made to leadership processes, the report stated.

The only significant improvement that could be found was that some bedrooms had been refurbished.

Care homes are not routinely in special measures for longer than 12 months before their registration is removed.

The CQC will now decide whether to re-inspect Belgrave Court, or begin the process of closing it down.

But the home has said it is taking a legal challenge against the findings of the inspection.

A spokesperson for Belgrave Court said: “We are proud to care for the people of Bridlington and see it as a great honour. Our team works exceptionally hard to deliver great care and a great quality of life for the people that make their home with us.

“We were therefore shocked by the behaviour of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who has published a deeply flawed and inaccurate report that in no way reflects the performance of our home under our new Home Manager.

“The report itself is currently subject to both an ongoing factual accuracy review and legal challenge.

“We are grateful for the ongoing support of our residents and their loved ones, the staff team, and our wider partners – many of whom have provided written testimony to support our case, and to underline their first-hand experience of working with the new Home Manager and how she has positively transformed the home. We will continue to take all possible steps to ensure the performance of our home is accurately portrayed.”