Care home in special measures over safety concerns

A care home for people with learning disabilities has been placed into special measures after an inspection found residents were not protected from potential financial abuse.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it made immediate referrals to police after it found unaccounted spending on some people's financial records at Mariantonia House Residential Care Home in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

The overall rating for the home has been downgraded to "inadequate", with inspectors restricting new admissions due to "serious safety concerns".

The home said it would appeal against the findings and added: "We categorically refute the CQC's allegations."

Inspectors said actions had been taken to safeguard residents' financial safety following inspections at the residential home, which also cares for people with mental health conditions, in July and September.

Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said "poor leadership" had led to people being "at risk of potential abuse and unsafe care".

"People weren't protected from potential financial abuse in a place they call their home.

"We found anomalies with some people's financial records which showed unaccounted spending," he said.

"We made immediate referrals to the police and local authority safeguarding team who have reviewed these incidents."

The CQC said Mariantonia House's overall rating, as well as the ratings for being safe, caring, effective, responsive and well-led, had dropped from "good" to "inadequate" following the inspection.

Inspectors said not all staff at the care home had been safely recruited and mandatory training around working with autistic people and those with learning disabilities had not been completed.

Parts of the 13-bed residential care home were also unsafe, such as furniture not secured in bedrooms which posed a risk of falling onto people.

In a report, the health watchdog said it also found "several breaches" of Health and Social Care Act regulations relating to safeguarding from abuse and improper treatment, with signs of a "closed culture" at the service.

One person who was at risk of choking had no guidance in their care plan to show staff how to puree food, and another person at risk of falls had no support plan in place.

Mr Howarth said it was "unacceptable" that staff at the service had described residents in a "derogatory and disrespectful manner" in their care notes, such as referring to them as rude or having the behaviour of a child.

The service will be monitored by the CQC to check improvements have been made.

"We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, and continued improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time," Mr Howarth added.

A spokesperson for Mariantonia House said: "The CQC has set improvement targets without giving us adequate time, making the whole traumatic process feel targeted and ultimately counterproductive to our residents' well-being."

Accusing the CQC of being "heavy-handed", they added it was a "fully compliant care home".

"Up until 2019, our ratings were consistently 'good' with high praise from every department," they said.

"After Covid, we were not subject to a single inspection until July 2024," when, they alleged, examinations appeared to have been carried out "with the clear intent of finding any reason to undermine the care that we provide".

They added they were under the impression from the CQC that residents may have to move, with families worried about the effects of "sudden change".

Those families were "in shock" at the report's findings, the home claimed, suggesting residents' relatives were "extremely happy with the care we provide".

They said "absurd allegations of financial abuse" have already been investigated and no further concerns were raised.

"Years-old" documentation had been used to "dig up" what the CQC "deemed disparaging staff remarks", they said, adding it would appeal against the finding.

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