CQC shuts down Pink Panther Care Home

A care home which got people out of bed and dressed for the day as early as 3am has been shut by the Care Quality Commission.

The owners of the Pink Panther Care home have been described as committing ‘organisational abuse’ by the CQC which found staff got residents out of bed and ready for the day if they woke in the middle of the night because it was easier than helping them go back to sleep.

The commission took action to cancel the registration of the provider S & M Care Homes and the registration of the care home’s manager Val Neal to stop them running care services at the Hull-based home.

The 28 day period for owners Sarah Heath and Mark Wilson and manager Val Neal to appeal the decision ran out on 9 November.

CQC inspectors first became concerned about care at the home after their visit on 20 and 21 January this year. An unannounced inspection at 6am on 23 July to follow up what action the provider had taken, revealed the early starts.

Inspectors found that contrary to care file preferences, residents' sleeping and meal preferences were largely ignored.

For example, one resident’s care file stated they would like to get up and start the day: ‘Anytime from 6.30am’ but the daily notes for the day of inspection stated: 'Up at 3am due to him getting out of bed'.

Inspectors also discovered that staff did little to minimise the risk of residents having accidents because accidents often went unrecorded.

For example, one resident sustained falls, injuries, climbed over bed rails and pulled furniture over in their room but inspectors found their ‘personal safety and risk’ care plan had no record of these risks.

In a report detailing their July visit, inspectors said that if a person was found on the floor staff did not record it as a fall but as an incident in their care file because it was not witnessed.

Inspectors stated: “The fact the fall was not witnessed should have added to the concern, as staff would not know whether the person had been knocked unconscious by the accident.

“As the accident book and individual people’s incident records were not checked and analysed, we could not be sure the registered manager and registered provider grasped the extent of the accidents and injuries people sustained."

Inspectors said residents' needs were not effectively assessed and care plans had not been created to provide guidance on how to meet them. The CQC also discovered that residents did not receive the medicines they were prescribed. All residents were moved to other care homes prior to the ban.