Residents moved out of "horrible" Lancashire nursing home after council takes action

Asquith Hall, in Todmorden, near Burnley, has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) watchdog following an inspection carried out in June.

Run by Tributary Ltd, it was a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 53 people. At the time of this inspection there were 34 people living at the home. The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns CQC had received around people’s safety and the personal care being provided to people.

Care home ‘village’ with cafe, gym and pool planned for this Lancashire town

One person told inspectors: “This is a horrible place. I think it's called a care home but there's no caring. I have to look after myself, no support with a wash or shower. I would love to live anywhere else, anywhere at all.”

“A culture where neglect went unchallenged”

Sheila Grant, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said inspectors found “a culture where neglect went unchallenged and people living there had to accept substandard care as normal.”

Summarising the full report, she also said that staff didn’t support people with enough to eat or drink, or to wash and shower when needed. She added: “It was very concerning that people were left alone for long periods of time with no meaningful engagement in some cases in rooms which were unfit for human habitation.”

Following the inspection, the local authority, West Yorkshire Council, took the decision to move everyone out of the service and supported people to move to alternative accommodation better suited to their needs.

“Squalid conditions”

Ms Grant added: “Staff and leaders didn’t know people well which meant people living at Asquith Hall didn’t have a voice leaving people at risk of harm. For example, we saw a person living in squalid conditions and not being supported with personal care. This hadn’t been challenged and nothing had been done to help the person affected.

“Vulnerable people were relying on all staff members to act as their advocates to help them live their best lives and it is unacceptable the people they relied on let them live like this.

“During the inspection one person told us, they thought the home was a horrible place and said it shouldn’t be called a care home because no caring took place there. They also told us they needed to look after themselves because they had no support to keep clean and would love to live somewhere else. These are heartbreaking words, and nobody should feel like this in a place they are supposed to be able to call home.

"We told Asquith Hall where we expected to see rapid and widespread improvements. However, the local authority have taken the decision to move people out of the home. People who lived at Asquith Hall have in turn been supported to find alternative accommodation better suited to their needs”.

Inspectors found:

• The owner did not work effectively in partnership with other services and therefore outcomes for people were poor
• There were not enough staff to care for people effectively
• People’s individual needs and choices were not considered, and care was not planned collaboratively
• There were insufficient quantities of medicines available to meet people’s needs
• Staff lacked guidance to care for people safely and meet their skin integrity needs. For example, one person’s skin integrity care plan was inaccurate, and they had no wound care plan despite other records stating they had a wound
• On the second day of inspection, two people had fallen during the night and one person remained on the floor. In these rooms there were no falls sensor mats in place and call bells were out of reach. Staff were unable to confirm how long both people had been laid on the floor
• During the inspection a third person said they had fallen and were experiencing pain, however staff tried to pull the person up by their arm. An inspector intervened to stop this. Staff were unable to confirm whether they were trained in moving and handling.