Care home closed as manager arrested (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Care home closed as manager arrested

9:12am Tuesday 26th June 2007 in Swindon By Gazette Reporter

Elderly residents have been moved out of their care home and the manager arrested ahead of a court request for its immediate closure.

Twenty people were moved out to other care homes after the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) applied for the emergency closure of Dannah House, in Wroughton.

A hearing was scheduled at Swindon Magistrates' Court for Friday, but it was adjourned until tomorrow for a full hearing to take place.

A CSCI spokesman said: "We went to court in connection with enforcement action that we are taking with regards to Dannah House under the Care Standards Act 2000.

"As this matter is currently before the court we are unable to comment further at present."

As a result of the delayed court case, Swindon Council's social services team took the decision to move all the residents from the home on Friday, ahead of the case being heard.

“As the local authority we felt we had a duty of care to the service users, whether they were placed by us or were private occupants, to ensure they are looked after appropriately."

David Renard

David Renard, the council's cabinet member for health, housing and social care Coun, said: "As the local authority we felt we had a duty of care to the service users, whether they were placed by us or were private occupants, to ensure they are looked after appropriately.

"The level of concern was such that we felt we had to take action to move the residents."

The CSCI's last inspection of the home took place in November, with several areas gaining the lowest possible rating of "poor", including health and personal care, environment, staffing and management and administration. All other areas were rated as "adequate".

The report states that out of 25 minimum standards inspected, just five were fully compliant, while nine were deemed to have major shortfalls.

Inspectors set several statutory requirements and deadlines for change, with regular progress checks taking place since then.

But it is understood that standards have fallen further still, prompting the CSCI's closure application.

The requirements listed in November included stopping residents being left alone in the bath with doors open and just a privacy curtain in place, reviewing meal and wake-up time policies, improving access to toilets and bathrooms, and carrying out asbestos checks on at least two bedroom doors.

The report also required that the home be staffed by at least three care workers between 8am and 2pm every day, and that there were sufficient staff on duty during busy times such as medical and meal rounds.

A statement issued by the home's proprietors, Amexcel Care Ltd, said: "Following some issues in relation to some alleged breaches of regulations at Dannah House, an application was made to Swindon Magistrates' Court for an order cancelling the registration of Amexcel Care Limited.

"As there are no further service users in residence it is unlikely that that application for cancellation of registration will now proceed.

"The issues between the care provider and the CSCI will be dealt with at a later date before an appropriate tribunal."

A former employee at the home said that despite staff members' best efforts they did not have the cash available to make changes to the set-up.

"I left because the home wasn't being run the way it should have been," the ex-worker said. "The staff were always doing the best they could.

"The budget wasn't there. There was hardly a budget to make sure residents were fed."

But Amy Bowles, whose 86-year-old mother has been in the home for a year, said she never had any concerns about standards or the care during that time and that thousands of pounds appeared to have been spent to upgrade the décor in recent months.

Police also confirmed that the manager of the care home had also recently been arrested on suspicion of theft.

A spokeswoman for Wiltshire Police said: "A 34-year-old London man was arrested on Thursday. He has subsequently been released on police bail pending further inquiries."