Milestones Trust care home placed in Special Measures

Milestone Trust’s Abbey House care home in Swindon has been placed in Special Measures after being rated inadequate by the CQC.

The home, which can accommodate up to 74 people, was given the CQC’s lowest rating following an inspection in August.

The report said: “Systems to monitor and improve the service were not effective and the registered manager did not have a clear overview of the service and the quality of care being provided to people.

Story continues below

Advertisement

“Systems for gaining and acting on feedback from people were not always effective. Systems for monitoring accidents and incidents were not effective. There was not always records of any action taken as result of accidents and incidents and not always evidence of investigations being completed.

“Risks to people were not always identified and where risks were identified there were not always effective plans in place to manage those risks. Medicines were not managed safely to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed and were kept pain free.”

The CQC said residents did not have their dietary needs met and risks associated with their health were not effectively managed.

Care plans were not always accurate, the CQC added, with the service not providing enough staff to meet resident’s needs.

John Hoskinson, CEO, said: “We are deeply saddened and disappointed to have received an ‘Inadequate’ rating for Abbey House and are sorry to have fallen short of the high standards that our residents and their families should expect of us.

“As a charitable organisation that prides itself on having over 95% of our services rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’, we are determined to turn the situation around at Abbey House as quickly as possible. Delivering top quality care is our priority and we have already taken urgent and decisive action to address the issues identified at the time of the inspection in August.

“We will continue to work closely with our staff, residents, families, CQC and commissioners to ensure that we address the issues highlighted in the report both swiftly and efficiently.”