Mariantonia House on Comberton Road has been rated ‘inadequate’ by the CQC and placed into special measures to protect people following an inspection in July and September.
In the report, which the home owner has “categorically refuted”, concerns were raised over residents not being protected from potential financial abuse, anomalies in people’s financial records, staff not completing mandatory training and residents being referred to in a “derogatory” manner in care notes.
The CQC dropped the overall rating for the home, which provides care to people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions, from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’.
Craig Howard, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: “When we inspected Mariantonia House, poor leadership had led to people being at risk of potential abuse and unsafe care. This is why we took immediate action to restrict admissions to the home so managers could focus on making urgent improvements needed to keep people safe.
“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. We made immediate referrals to the police and local authority safeguarding team who have reviewed these incidents.
“Actions have now been taken to safeguard residents’ financial safety.”
Inspectors found that the staff had no clear system to support them in reporting or recording incidents, not all staff had been safely recruited or had appropriate background checks conducted and leaders and staff didn’t consider the potential impact on people in the event of a fire or emergency.
The report also said “parts of the home were unsafe” including furniture in bedrooms which posed a risk of falling onto people.
Emanuela Magro, director of Mariantonia House, said she “categorically refutes” the allegations made in the CQC’s report and has described it as containing “several inaccuracies and misrepresentations” of the issues identified during the inspection.
The home also said they have not had any residents or their families raise concerns about substandard care during its 28-year history in the area.
Mr Howarth, from the CQC, said: “People weren’t always supported appropriately, one person who was at risk of choking had no guidance in their care plan to show staff how to puree their food. Another person at risk of falls had no support plan in place to keep them safe from injury.
“It’s unacceptable that staff described people in a derogatory and disrespectful manner in their care notes such as referring to people as rude, entitled or having the behaviour of a child. This terminology doesn’t reflect an approach that respects people and their rights to make choices in their care and treatment.
“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. We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to use our powers further if people aren’t receiving the care they have a right to expect.”
In response to the report, Emanuela Magro, director of Mariantonia House, said: “For nearly three decades, we have provided a safe and caring home to residents whose families have put their trust in us.
“We categorically refute the allegations made in the report and wish to point out that not one of our residents or their families have ever raised concerns of substandard care in our 28-year history.
“Comprehensive care plans and robust systems have always been implemented at times exceeding regulatory requirements. We will continue working diligently to resolve any concerns highlighted in the report to ensure we can continue to provide exemplary care.”
Ms Magro has acknowledged the challenges of digitalising the administration of medication referenced in the report but felt the home was not given adequate time to address the problem.
She has stressed that “at no moment was the safety of residents compromised”.
Addressing the concerns over staff qualifications, Ms Magro said that whilst some staff had not obtained the qualification cited in the CQC’s report, all staff have undertaken more extensive training courses.
Ms Magro also said the allegations of potential financial risks were “unfounded” and any unaccounted spending had been clarified.
Mariantonia House management has since met with the residents’ families to discuss the CQC’s report.
Ms Magro added: “All of the families are aware of the contents of the reports and they do not agree that any of their family members have ever been unsafe.”
A spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: “We are aware of a number of ongoing quality and safeguarding concerns at Mariantonia House Mental Health residential home in Kidderminster, which we are continuing to investigate.
“CQC has served a notice of decision to remove regulated activity from the setting requiring the County Council to work with individuals and their families to find suitable alternative provision that meet their care needs.
“Social Care Commissioners have been working closely with quality assurance officers, social workers, safeguarding, health colleagues, CQC and the police to manage the situation for which no final outcome has yet been reached.”