Watchdog fines care home owner £4,000 for not hiring a registered manager

A care home which operated without a registered manager has been fined £4,000 by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The care watchdog issued the fine to Epsom Lodge Care Homes Ltd after inspectors discovered a registered manager was not employed at the care home.

Debbie Ivanova, deputy chief inspector of adult social care for London and the South, said: “It is a provider’s legal duty to ensure that it has an appropriate registered manager in place for good reason."

Inspections by the CQC took place at Epsom Lodge Care Home on 8 April 2016 and 19 September 2016 based in Burgh Heath Road, Epsom, Surrey but despite it being a legal obligation, inspectors discovered there was no registered manager at the care home from January 2016 until March 2017.

Care home’s application rejected

Epsom Lodge told CQC that a manager had been employed since 1 February 2016 but the manager’s application to register had been rejected by the CQC because there were gaps in the information required.

CQC followed up by issuing the fine which the care home provider agreed to pay.

The care home was rated Inadequate by the CQC following its latest inspection report published on 4 April 2017. At the time of the most recent inspection, Epsom Lodge was run by Mr K Middleton and Ms N Seepaul.

The 4 April 2017 CQC report stated: ‘The manager that had been working at the service had not submitted an application to the CQC at the time of the inspection’.

Debbie Ivanova added: “We will keep Epsom Lodge under review to ensure that standards are sustained. We will not hesitate to take further action if necessary to ensure residents receive the service they are entitled to expect.”

You can read the care home's latest CQC report here: http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/new_reports/INS2-3230054850.pdf