Care home shuts its doors after damning CQC report

A CARE home in Westbury will close this month and residents will have to find alternative accommodation  following an inspection which found the home not to be meeting national standards.

Greengates Care Home was told it ‘Requires Improvement’ in a report released in May by independent watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and now the owners of the care home have decided to close on September 25th.

The home was rated ‘Requires improvement’ in four categories; Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led, and rated ‘Inadequate’ in the safe category.

The inspector raised concerns with the administration of medicines and correct protocols were not in place. The home was also found not to be meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

The inspector also found that people did not always have drinks available close by and were not always offered a choice of what they wanted to drink. They saw in one person’s care plan it was recorded that they had lost weight over several months, but this had not been identified in the monthly review and no action had been noted.

During the two-day inspection the CQC observed people were not engaged in any meaningful activities and some people experienced little social interaction. Staff told inspectors that they did not have the time to sit and chat with people. Residents also did not have access to any day trips out.

Greengates declined to give a comment about the closure.

A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said, “Following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission of Greengates Care Home in Westbury, which raised a number of serious concerns, the owner has taken the decision to close the home within 28 days.

“As safeguarding is a key priority for the council, we are working closely with the CQC to take appropriate action in the best interest of the residents, and move them to alternative accommodation.

“We are working with the residents and their families to ensure that we provide the support that is needed, and to meet their individual requirements, at this difficult time.”