Heysham care home given lowest possible rating after inspection finds residents living in ‘squalor’

Malvern House was visited by the CQC in July and August 2022, with the report published in February and March 2023.

Overall, the home located on Heysham Road in Morecambe received an 'Inadequate' rating, the lowest a service can receive from the inspectorate.

This means the home is in 'special measures'.

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the management of risk related to the support people received while living at Malvern House.

The home specialises in support for older and younger adults who may have a physical disability, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder.

The CQC report said that at the time of the inspection, there were three people living in the home.

Two people for a prolonged time had to live and sleep in squalid conditions.

This was contrary to Article 03 of The Human Rights Act, 'Right not to be tortured or treated in an inhuman or degrading way'.

Following the CQC inspection visit, and after people had moved from the property the provider refurbished the two bedrooms which included new beds and furniture.

The provider failed to notify CQC without delay of incidents that are reported to or investigated by the police.

The police responded to two people who were distressed on different occasions and transported them back to their staff at Malvern House.

Not all these incidents were shared with CQC.

Systems had not been established to assess, monitor and mitigate risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service.

This placed people at risk of harm.

The provider failed to operate effective safeguarding processes by allowing a staff member who was under police criminal investigation to work with people who may be vulnerable.

At the time of the inspection two out of three people living at Malvern House wanted to live elsewhere due to their environment and actions of some staff.

Not all the fire doors were well maintained. Five fire doors did not close independently into their door frame. This meant the spread of fire or harmful smoke would not have been restricted had there been a fire.

The fire panel alarm was not working correctly.

The provider told the CQC that work has been completed to rectify the fire door closures and the error on the fire panel has now been reset.

The provider failed to ensure staff had the knowledge and accredited training to ensure the use of restraint or the need to control a person was the correct response at that time and this placed people at risk of abuse and improper treatment.

People were not consistently protected from the risk of abuse or improper treatment as systems and processes to safeguard people were not effectively operated.

After CQC visited the home, the provider told the CQC they had scheduled restraint training for all staff from an accredited trainer.

The Lancaster Guardian have contacted Malvern House for comment.