Willow Bank Care Home: Leeds care home given 'inadequate' rating by CQC who say people were 'not safe'

Inspectors visited Willow Bank Care Home and found that although there were examples of safe practice, “people in general were not safe”. The CQC raised concerns over risks not being identified and mitigated, and also said “robust recruitment checks” were not completed before staff started working at the service.

The CQC also said some people were at risk of malnutrition and that inspectors saw “several examples” where people had less to drink than their recommended amount.

The CQC is independent regulator of health and social care in England and assessed Willow Bank with three key questions, asking whether the service was safe, responsible and well-led. The home was rated ‘inadequate’ in each category and has been placed into special measures. This means the service will be kept under review and re-inspected within six months to check for significant improvements.

The report published by the CQC shows that inspectors found “widespread and significant shortfalls” in the way the service was led, and that there was a “lack of effective leadership and management by both the provider and registered manager”.

Another section of the report read: “Services were not planned in a way that met people's needs. Care plans were not person-centred and did not always guide staff on people's current care needs. People's preferences around end of life care were not known although the service did work closely with palliative care specialists to make sure people had a pain-free and comfortable death.”

The report did state that staff interacted with people in a “kind and caring way". The CQC has also said the provider has been responsive to findings of the inspection and has provided information to show action was being taken to address areas of risk.

A spokesperson from Maria Mallaband Care Group, which runs the service, said: “Senior managers are supporting all staff at Willow Bank Nursing Home in order to ensure that the necessary improvements are made and sustained. We are confident that we are making the necessary improvements and creating a positive care service since the initial inspection and look forward to demonstrating this at the next CQC visit.”