A March care home was placed into special measures weeks before the coronavirus lockdown after Government health officials rated it as ‘inadequate’.

%image(15874610, type="article-full", alt="Healthcare inspectors rated Clovelly House in March "inadequate" before coronavirus restrictions were introduced. Image: Supplied")

Clovelly House in Station Road was given the worst possible rating after it was discovered there was a “lack of management oversight” and staff “did not always show respect” for residents.

The Care Quality Commision (CQC) placed the care home under review, threatening closure if adequate improvements had not been made in line with the issues raised. Clovelly House has since said all actions required have been carried out.

CQC inspectors saw a vulnerable resident struggling to eat food that had gone “stone cold....one person had lost a significant amount of weight.

“Although a referral to the dietician had been made several months previously it had not been followed up in a timely manner when there was no response.

“We saw this person, who had chosen to eat their meals in their room, struggling to get the food from the plate to their mouth.”

The report continued: “Staff had delivered the person’s pudding before they had finished their first course, and both were stone cold. No staff had returned to offer assistance.”

Malcolm George who runs Clovelly House, said that while they are “focused on the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic”, the areas of concern were resolved in partnership with the CQC and Cambridgeshire County Council.

“We are in regular contact with all residents’ families during this difficult time, Clovelly’s commitment to delivering quality care is first and foremost amongst all things,” he added.

CQC inspectors visited Clovelly House on three separate occasions towards the end of last year and published their findings in February. Other concerns raised included a lack of robust fire safety arrangements and no satisfactory system in place to protect residents from abuse and harm.

They also found staff numbers didn’t always support residents’ needs and there had been a lack of training. However, residents and their families told inspectors they were happy with the care and the quality of the food provided. Inspectors said that the home was “clean and fresh throughout” and staff had been trained in infection control and “were fully aware of their responsibilities to protect people from the spread of infection”.

The CQC lists 76 inspected care homes on its website within a 15-mile radius of the March PE15 postcode. Clovelly House, which can accommodate up to 21 residents, is the only one rated as inadequate overall.