Care home put in special measures by watchdog

A care home in Doncaster has been placed in special measures after inspectors highlighted several failings, including residents' clothes going missing.

Anchor House, on Avenue Road, which provides accommodation for up to 23 people, was rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a visit by inspectors in September.

The CQC criticised the home's leadership, saying the site was short-staffed and that the building "wasn't always safely maintained".

The operator of Anchor House declined to comment on the report's findings when approached by the BBC.

The CQC's full report on the venue would be published in the coming days, according to the regulator.

Victoria Marsden, from the CQC, said the home's leaders "failed to ensure there were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs".

"This also led to staff being very task-focused staff and not always interacting with people in a kind and caring way," she said.

"Relatives told us their family member's clothes were often not ironed or went missing, and slippers and footwear they'd provided had never been used due to staff not having the time to support people properly."

The watchdog said the home's residents, some of whom lived with dementia, were "exposed to avoidable harm".

"For example, the outside area was cluttered with waste materials making it unusable if people wanted to spend time outside," Marsden said.

Meanwhile, she added that staff "didn't ensure people's medicines were managed and administered safely".

The home, which had previously been rated as requiring improvement before being downgraded, had been told to make fast improvements or else risk closure, according to the CQC.

Six years ago, the venue was praised after workers moved into the home during the early stages of the Covid pandemic, which helped ensure it remained coronavirus-free and saved residents' lives.

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