The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Bethany House, in Harrogate, as ‘inadequate’ after its inspection in April and May.
A spokesperson for Franklin Homes, which runs Bethany House, said it was “extremely disappointed” with the rating and “immediate action” had been taken to address the concerns raised.
The care home provides accommodation and personal care to autistic people and people with a learning disability or mental health needs.
It has been placed into special measures which means Bethany House will be closely monitored by the CQC to ensure people are safe while the care home makes improvements.
Inspectors found the home to be inadequate in the areas of being safe and effective.
They said it ‘requires improvement’ for being caring, well-led and responsive.
The CQC said it identified four breaches of regulation relating to safe care and treatment, person centred care, the safety of the home environment, and how the home is managed.
In their report, inspectors said staff treated residents with “kindness and respect” and “sought people’s consent before carrying out tasks”.
But they found that staff “did not have clear and consistent guidance to enable them to support people safely”.
Alan Stephenson, the CQC’s deputy director of operations in the north, said care home leaders had “made little improvement” since its last inspection from the watchdog in November 2022.
A new interim manager had been in place to focus on improving the home during the inspection.
But Mr Stephenson said it was “too early to see any real progress”.
The director said inspectors found that Bethany House leaders “failed to act” when people had experienced dehydration while living at the home.
“Staff’s monitoring of people’s fluid intake was poor which placed people at risk of recurring harm and further dehydration,” Mr Stephenson said.
He added: “Staff sometimes ignored recommendations from other health professionals.
“For example, staff didn’t support people to carry out recommended exercises to aid their mobility, which impacted people’s quality of life.
“Managers also failed to refer someone to see a psychologist as recommended.
“Leaders had allowed a decline in people participating in activities to happen which affected people’s wellbeing and happiness.
“Two people who used to enjoy outings to cafes, clubs and events, were now sat in their rooms for longer periods of time which placed them at risk of loneliness.”
Mr Stephenson said the Bethany House leaders had been “responsive to our feedback and took action to address our concerns following the inspection”.
“We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to use our regulatory powers further if people still aren’t receiving the care they have a right to expect,” he said.
‘The findings in this report fall short of the standards we expect,’ say care home bosses
The Franklin Homes spokesperson said it “fully accepts the areas for improvement identified by the CQC”.
“Providing high-quality, person-centred care is our top priority. The findings in this report fall short of the standards we expect,” they said.
The spokesperson added: “A new management team is now in place, supported by our compliance and quality teams.
“Together, they are implementing a rigorous improvement plan to ensure lasting change.”
The spokesperson said Franklin Homes has a “zero-tolerance approach to poor care”.
They said it is “fully committed to learning from this inspection, not only at Bethany House but across our organisation, as we continue working towards our goal of having all our services rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’”.
The full report can be read on the CQC’s website.
