Patients were seriously injured at '˜unsafe' care home rehab unit

People were seriously injured from falls at a rehabilitation unit which was supposed to help them get well enough to return home from hospital.

Care Quality Commission Inspectors have crticised the Kingsdale Unit, part of the BUPA-run West Ridings Residential and Nursing Home, in a damning inspection report.

The intermediate care unit looked after up to 28 patients under contract with Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust before it was shut down in November.

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CQC inspectors visited unannounced after concerns were raised about the unit in Lofthouse Gate and found it to be short staffed and unsafe.

The report said: “There had been a high number of falls, some of which had resulted in serious injuries to people.

“There had been no management investigations into these incidents and no analysis or monitoring of accidents and incidents on the unit.”

The report said people did not feel safe on the Kingsdale Unit. One person told the inspectors: “I’ve fallen before and that’s why I’m in here.

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“But there are no staff around and I’m scared I’ll fall again so I just have to wait until they can help, but there’s never any staff about.”

Another said: “I’m scared on my own and I’m scared in here.”

Staff could not provide the care people needed because of short staffing. They knew the procedure to report poor practice, but one said: “I don’t think people would dare to whistleblow.”

The inspectors had to refer one person to the local authority safeguarding team.

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The report said: “We asked staff to attend to this person to relieve their pain and distress and staff came to assist.

“However, staff did not handle this person with care and this resulted in further pain.”

They also criticised medicines management and record keeping at the Kingsdale Unit.

They said: “People were prescribed and given medication that they were allergic to.

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“There was no action taken when people showed signs of deteriorating health.”

After the Kingsdale Unit closed in November the CQC returned to inspect the rest of the West Ridings Residential and Nursing Home.

A separate report rated the home as “inadequate” for being safe, “requires improvement” for being effective and responsive and “good” for being caring.

BUPA said in a statement: “More widely, we have made changes in the home which include a new management team and an increased number of permanent staff.

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“The health and wellbeing of our residents is our top priority and we will continue to work hard to make the best improvements possible for our residents.”

Mid Yorkshire said it worked with BUPA to monitor the Kingsdale Unit before it ceased commissioning intermediate care beds there last November.

Director of operations Mike Forster said: “We took the decision with BUPA that they would no longer provide intermediate care to The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

“We now manage these patients in house.”