Leeds care home residents 'put at risk' by repairs to building

Rooms containing tools, equipment and hazardous substances were left unlocked and unsupervised at Oakhaven Care Home when Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors visited in May.

-> New ‘world class’ Leeds United training ground could be built on former school siteAreas of the home were also unclean, and the provider, Valorum Care, did not always follow good practice for the prevention and control of infection.

Inspectors said the home in Oakwood Lane 'requires improvement'.

They did not find any evidence that people had actually been harmed.

Oakhaven is a residential care home providing personal care to 19 people aged 65 and over, some of whom may be living with dementia.

The service can support up to 24 people.

Safety, effectiveness and leadership were all deemed as 'requires improvement', while the home was deemed 'good' in the areas of caring and responsiveness.

The report, published last week, added: "People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests."

Opportunities for learning were also missed, it added.

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More positively, inspectors found that staff were 'kind and compassionate' and 'appropriately trained and delivered person-centred care'.

The registered manager was also 'approachable and open to feedback and they acted on people's concerns'.

A Valorum Care spokesman said: “The inspection found our service to be caring and responsive, but we accept there were also issues that needed resolving. We are taking measures to address these issues, as we always place the well-being and health and safety of our residents at the forefront of everything we do.

“Unfortunately, the inspection did take place at a time when we were carrying out a full refurbishment of the building and most of these improvements have now been completed.

"We are working in partnership with Leeds City Council and are confident our service will meet the required standards."