Care home for dementia patients in special measures

A care home that mainly looks after older people with dementia has been placed in special measures with inspectors saying they would take action to protect the residents.

Brenalwood Care Home, in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following concerns raised about safety and the quality of care.

Its report said the home had failed to sustain some improvements made after previous inspections and downgraded its overall rating to inadequate.

In a statement, management company Regal Care Trading Ltd said they were "deeply disappointed with the outcome of the inspection".

They added: "While we do not agree with all aspects of CQC's description of the service at the time of the inspection, we accept that improvements were required."

According to the CQC report following the most recent inspection, Brenalwood Care Home had been rated inadequate twice in 2022.

"At our last inspection in 2023 some improvements had been made and the rating was requires improvement," the report said.

However, it said "the service had failed to sustain the improvements made" in some areas.

Inspectors said at the time of the latest visit there were 30 people using the service, and most were living with dementia.

CQC experts only looked at the safety and leadership of the home on this occasion.

They found several issues including staffing levels, which "were not always enough to meet the needs of people and keep them safe from harm".

"Staff were busy and weren't able to spend meaningful time with people," the report found.

Issues were also identified regarding medication given to clients.

A recent change of management at the home had also led to "instability" which did not help the home to sustain any improvements made.

The CQC said: "[The] home's overall rating has dropped from requires improvement to inadequate as have the ratings for safe and well-led. The ratings for effective, caring and responsive were not reviewed in this inspection and remain rated as requires improvement."

It added: "The service has been placed in special measures, which means CQC will monitor it closely to keep people living there safe whilst improvements are made.

"CQC has also proposed using its regulatory powers further which Brenalwood Care Home has the right to appeal."

The spokesperson for Regal Care Trading Ltd said reviews had been undertaken at Brenalwood and outcomes had shown "demonstrable and sustained improvements to the service".

"We are working closely with the CQC, the local authority, safeguarding team and our key stakeholders, to ensure we deliver the highest standard of care for our residents," they added.

"We are always committed to learning from any shortcomings identified at a service and will continue to work through our Service Improvement Plan to embed and sustain the changes we have made."

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.