Care Home in Surrey to close

The Care Quality Commission has taken urgent action to close a failing care home in Banstead, Surrey, after serious failings were identified which presented a significant risk to the safety of residents.

Inspectors visited the home on 28 November and 1 December in response to concerns raised by Surrey County Council to find that people were not receiving care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive to their needs or well-led.

Inspectors found that residents – many of whom were living with dementia – were being washed in cold water and had a high risk of developing pressure sores due to inappropriate beds. The home was dirty and had an overpowering smell of urine. A broken lift had left some people unable to get downstairs in the home for several weeks.

Staff were not supporting people to eat, and inspectors saw incidents of poor manual handling. Some staff working in the home had not had criminal records checks, and staff were working up to 60 hours a week. There were not enough staff on duty, and relevant training had not been provided.

CQC worked with the local authority and the local Clinical Commissioning Group to ensure as smooth a process as possible as a result of the closure.

Adrian Hughes, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the south for CQC, said: "CQC sincerely regrets the disruption and distress that the residents of Merok Park have experienced. However, moving the residents to new homes was the right thing to do because we were extremely concerned about the impact living in the home was having on their health and wellbeing. The owners of Merok Park were providing substandard care and we had no confidence in their ability to correct the serious failings we found. I was pleased to be told today that those who were moved are now safe and well in their new homes.

"We have worked with the responsible local authority and the local Clinical Commissioning Group and confirmed with both agencies last Friday (5 December) that we would be serving the notice requiring the immediate closure of the home on Tuesday (9 December) to allow time for people to move.

"Our understanding is that while the local authority had ensured that new accommodation was ready for all those they needed to move, an issue arose on the 9 December regarding the attendance of the transport services arranged by the CCG which delayed transfers until later in the day. This of course caused additional distress for the residents and their families which everyone involved would have wished to avoid."