CQC wins legal case to shut down 'degrading' care home

A care home that left residents in their rooms on urine-soaked mattresses has been shut down, despite a care provider's legal challenge to stop the Care Quality Commission cancelling its registration.

At the Royal Courts of Justice, the CQC’s bid to close Lime Trees Residential Care Home Ltd in Enfield, was upheld by the Tribunal, following ‘a catalogue of poor care’ uncovered by inspections, including a strong smell of urine and faeces on the premises.

The court heard residents were exposed to ‘abusive and degrading treatment’ and left in their rooms with soiled incontinence pads.

A door to a walk-in shower was also left open for staff to assist, but this left naked residents in plain sight of other residents in the care home.

First-tier Tribunal Judge Graham Sinclair, ruled that the care provider's appeal be dismissed and the CQC’s decision to cancel the appellant’s registration as a care provider dated 9 July 2018 be confirmed.

The London-based care home, which was registered to care for a maximum of 20 residents, was also found to have failed to prevent the spread of infection by keeping it clean, not kept records of capacity assessments and had poor staff recruitment and training records.

Alison Murray, CQC’s head of Adult Social Care Inspection in London, said: “People in residential care homes have a right to expect a good quality of care. Sadly, this was not the case at Lime Trees Residential Care Home.

“CQC inspectors observed poor standards of care and eventually we were obliged to cancel the provider’s registration. The provider appealed, but now the courts have ruled in CQC’s favour, ensuring there can be no more sub-standard care at Lime Trees.”