The Care Quality Commission has put a Shaldon care home into special measures.

The health watchdog rated Teignbridge House Care Home 'inadequate' after an unannounced inspection in May, a downgrade from its 'requires improvement' rating in 2019.

The CQC said Teignbridge House, which was caring for 22 people including those on intermediate stays at the time of the inspection, "was not protecting people from the risk of abuse, especially from staff members".

It said it followed up on concerns about one person's wellbeing who was "affected by the actions of one staff member", and made a safeguarding alert to the local authority and raised it with the provider who reportedly "had not done so, or even addressed the allegations with the staff member involved".

Inspectors also found a yellow waste bag containing used incontinence pads had been left open on a stair well.

The CQC said this was pointed out to the provider, but they did not close it or find a staff member to remove it, which "put people at risk of catching and spreading infections".

The watchdog added that people "were not being supported to live dignified lives". One person told inspectors they were unhappy with their appearance, which the CQC said it saw had been neglected.

There was reportedly no record of their GP being contacted for advice on how to look after this person's health, so the CQC made an individual safeguarding alert to the local authority.

The CQC found there were "poor management systems and oversight of care" at Teignbridge House, meaning the risks of malnutrition, dehydration, lack of mental and emotional stimulation, poor infection control, staff training and environmental risks "had not been identified or addressed".

However, residents told inspectors that staff were "caring and friendly" and they felt safe as staff regularly checked on their wellbeing.

Relatives said staff had a kind way of speaking to people and one described the "wonderful relationship" their mother had with two particular care staff. Another described how they had been so attentive during a rapid decline in health for their relative. Relatives wrote, "She could not have had better care anywhere" and "We are all eternally grateful for your excellent care."

Residents 'deserve more' - CQC

CQC Deputy Director of Operations in the South of England Cath Campbell said: "Despite CQC telling Teignbridge House Care Home Limited where it needs to improve, it is unable to make rapid changes or sustain them. This has led to their rating stalling at requires improvement since 2019 as we find improvements in some areas and then a decline in others. 

"This is not acceptable for the people living at Teignbridge, who deserve more, and after finding serious decline at this inspection, is why we have placed the home into special measures and started the process of taking further action to protect people.

"After the inspection we fed back our findings to the provider who was also the registered manager. They took the decision to step down and engage a new person to run the service.

"The provider also contacted the local authority's quality assurance and improvement team for advice as they recognised they needed support, and have employed a consultant to help them make improvements.

"We will return to check on the progress of improvements we've told them to make, and we will be closely monitoring this service along with the local authority, to ensure people's safety while we take further enforcement action."

Teignbridge House 'disappointed' with CQC report

Michael Burnham, the provider at Teignbridge House Care Home, said: "Following the comprehensive inspection completed by the Care Quality Commission in May 2023, Teignbridge House has taken the feedback very seriously and have addressed each of the points within a service improvement plan.

"Our last CQC inspection was in 2019 and we were rated 'requires improvement' and we had an online monitoring meeting discussion in 2022. We are disappointed with the report published by CQC and our 'inadequate' rating.

"We have commissioned an independent not-for-profit company to help us make improvements and we are working closely with partner agencies to demonstrate the progress we have made since the inspection.

"Today we have met with the people living at Teignbridge House who have expressed how happy they feel with the care and support they are currently receiving at Teignbridge House."

Click here to read the report.