'Urgent improvements' needed at two Cornish care homes

A company that provides care for people with autism has been told to make urgent improvements at two homes.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) told Spectrum, the provider at St Erme Campus and Trelawney House in Cornwall, that following inspections the homes had been placed in special measures.

Inspectors found there was not enough staff and were told of alleged abuse from agency workers.

Spectrum said it was appealing the report's findings.

A spokesperson told the BBC it was "extremely disappointed" with the CQC report which "did not fairly capture the care and support being provided".

It follows unannounced inspections in October of St Erme Campus, near Truro, and Trelawney House, near Helston, after previous poor inspections.

Debbie Ivanova, the CQC's deputy chief inspector for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said there was widespread and significant shortfalls.

She explained that due to reliance on agency staff, people were not having their care needs met.

Ms Ivanova added: "At Trelawney House, inspectors were told about three incidents of alleged abuse of people using the service by agency staff, including one when the staff member was mocking a person while providing personal care.

"That is completely unacceptable, and the staff member has now been removed from the service."

Inspectors reported that three agency staff, who tested positive for Covid, were asked to continue working.

The CQC said incidents were not being appropriately reported by Spectrum to the local authority.

It highlighted that one person, with mobility issues, was reported to have fallen multiple times but there was no falls risk assessments in place to prevent it from happening again.

"The way in which people are expected to live in both these homes is neither acceptable, nor sustainable," Ms Ivanova added.

"We will not hesitate to use our legal powers and take further enforcement action to keep people safe."

Following the publication of the reports, Spectrum (Devon and Cornwall Autistic Community Trust) said it had provided service users with fulfilling activities such as sea swimming and horse riding.

A spokeswoman added it had been impacted by carer shortages and that every carer at Spectrum was "fully trained and capable of delivering the right care".

"The inspection reports do not reflect the feedback that we typically receive from the people we care for and their family members, and we would like to thank our community for their support and understanding at this time."

St Erme Campus was previously inspected in May when the CQC rated it inadequate, finding the service had insufficient staff to keep people safe.

The home was given the same overall ratings following the October inspection.

The overall rating for Trelawney House has dropped from requires improvement to inadequate.

Spectrum operates 15 care homes across Cornwall.

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].