Failing Sheffield care home placed in special measures

The Leahyrst Care Home in Upperthorpe has been rated as inadequate in providing safe, responsive and well-led care. It also requires improvement in offering effective and caring services.

As part of the report, Care Quality Commission inspectors found some residents’ medicines ‘were not managed safely’.

The care home, which is run by Silver Healthcare, provides personal care for up to 41 older people with needs including dementia. The CQC report said there was a lack of risk assessments for residents who had suffered falls.

It said: “We identified three people who had been found on the floor or witnessed falling. One person had fallen once, another person eight times and another three times. There was no falls risk assessment in place to assess any action that could be taken to reduce the risk.”

The report added: “We found some people’s medicines were not managed safely, which meant people were not protected against the risks associated with the unsafe use and management of medicines.

“There was not a system in place to identify the numbers of staff required to meet the needs of people and we found there was not sufficient staff, with appropriate experience, training and skills to meet people’s needs and facilitate person-centred care.

“Relatives told us staff were caring towards their relative and treated them with respect, but we found examples where this did not happen. We saw people were not engaged in daily activities during the day and spent a lot of time pacing the corridors or sat in lounges asleep.

“People living at the home and their relatives said they could speak with staff, the registered manager and provider if they had any worries or concerns and they would be listened to.”

Roy Young, Silver Healthcare managing director, said all concerns will be addressed ‘without delay’.

He said: “Although the CQC have given six months for the problems to be rectified, I have told the CQC all the necessary steps will have been taken by March 31.”

Mr Young said a meeting to discuss the findings of the report will be held in the near future with relatives of all of the home’s residents.