News

The Commission for Social Care Inspection threatened an NHS trust with legal action if it fails to dramatically improve standards in care homes for people with learning difficulties.
 
The CSCI warning focuses on 19 care homes run by Bedfordshire and Luton Mental Health and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust.
 
Failings include:

• A lack of clear guidelines on managing residents’ behaviour and inappropriate methods of control and restraint. 
• Poor management of aggression by some residents against other residents and staff. 
• Concerns about the trust’s policy on reporting incidents under the Protection of Vulnerable Adults procedures. 
• Residents are not properly or regularly reviewed, and there is little evidence of person-centred planning.  
• New staff appointments are not always subject to the necessary checks. 

CSCI says standards in nearly all the trust’s care homes fall well short of meeting the Care Homes Regulations 2001 and the national minimum standards.