Disabled patient '˜mocked' and laughed at by care home staff

A disabled patient was 'mocked' and laughed at by staff at a care home after he asked to go home.

Carlton Lodge in Normanton was placed in special measures after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said workers did not treat people with respect.

The home, which accommodates up to 10 people with severe learning difficulties, was run by Bondcare, whose two other care homes in the Wakefield district have been placed in special measures in recent months.

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Takeaway fined for misleading customers over cheaper meatIn a shocking report written by inspectors who visited the home, on Carlton Street in May and June, the CQC said that the venue was not safe.

It said: “We saw very few incidences where staff interaction was kind and caring, but on the whole we found staff’s approach was neither caring or supportive of people’s needs.

“On the second day of the inspection we saw one person with limited verbal skills was anxious throughout the day, continuously seeking reassurance from staff, but there was no reassurance given by staff.

“We saw one member of staff laughed and mocked when the person asked to go home and the person’s facial expressions then showed further anxiety and distress.”

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On a separate occasion, one person who was incontinent was told they were “naughty” by an employee after they wet themselves.

Biker died after collision with teenage cyclist in Wakefield, inquest toldThe regulator also found that the disabled adults were taken out on day trips in a car which had failed its MOT, and that two patients ended up in hospital after a member of staff had taken them to the pub drinking.

That incident was not recorded and inspectors were told by the same staff member that they were planning to take the same two people to the pub again that day.

During the CQC’s visit, a fire alarm forced the home to evacuate but managers took people back inside without checking whether or not it had been a false alarm.

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The report added: “People were at risk of serious harm because inappropriate restraint was used. We looked at one incident record in which one person had been restrained by staff resulting in marks on the person’s neck.”

According to Google the home is now closed, but both the CQC and the local authority said they had not made a decision to shut it.

No suspect identified in three quarters of household burglaries in West Yorkshire, figures showBondcare, who also operate under the name Care Worldwide Ltd, did not respond to repeated requests to comment or clarify whether or not they had closed the home themselves.

The firm also run Brookfield and Newbrook in Castleford, which cater for a small number of people with learning disabilities.

Both homes are being monitored by the CQC after they were graded inadequate during the summer.