Allegations of physical abuse and neglect were not reported by a Nottingham care home, an inspection report has found. On a visit to Precious Nursing and Residential Home in St Ann's in January, residents showed the Care Quality Commission (CQC) concerns about alleged poor staff conduct on their phones.
The health watchdog said allegations of abuse had not been referred to the local authority safeguarding adults team, with concerns ranging from allegations of physical abuse to neglect. "Safeguarding concerns were not always independently reviewed to ensure people were protected from abuse and to decide how they should be investigated," reads the inspection report, which was published on Monday, March 13.
The CQC rated the home as 'inadequate', meaning it has been placed in special measures. It was the first inspection of the service, which cares for 25 people, since it registered with the regulator in January 2022.
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The care home, situated on the Wells Road, has since made "significant improvements", according to Nottinghamshire NHS, to implement improvements. Inspectors found no evidence of any staff who had completed all their training, with 21 workers yet to complete moving and handling training.
They also said people did not always receive support to keep their belongings secure, with one resident saying items were being taken from their room. "Stuff is being nicked from my room". The report states that records indicated cigarettes were missing and not accounted for.
It reads: "Another person had gone to the hospital the previous weekend, their room had been left unlocked and contained items of value. One person told us, 'Stuff is being nicked from my room.'
"Another person said, 'I get well looked after, but nobody seems to be interested in my money going missing.' This meant people were at increased risk of financial and material abuse."
Residents' end-of-life care plans were also found not to have always been completed. One person who did not have an end-of-life care plan was deemed to be at the end stage of their life, the report states.
It says: "This meant care plans did not always contain information on if decisions had been made about people receiving life-sustaining treatment and to guide staff on respecting people's wishes for the end of their life."
A spokesperson for Precious Nursing and Residential Home said: "We have been working closely with the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) to address multiple action plans and are pleased to report that following a face-to-face review with the ICB, they are extremely happy with the 'miraculous' turnaround of the service. We will continue to work closely with the ICB in a supportive capacity to ensure the improvements are embedded and sustained."
An NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB spokesperson said: "We have been working closely with Precious Nursing & Residential Home and the Care Quality Commission to address concerns which were raised following an unannounced inspection of the service. On our most recent visit in February, we found that significant improvements had been made in a short space of time. We will carry on working with and monitoring the service closely for continued improvements."
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