A CARE home has been plunged into ‘special measures’ the Care Quality Commission’s lowest-performing category after an inspection found the facility was unsafe.

Byron Lodge Care Home, based on Dryden Road in Wath-upon-Dearne, was inspected by the health watchdog in December.

At the time of the inspection there were 45 people living in the service and two were in hospital some of whom had dementia.

Following the inspection, the home was sent warning letters and subsequently plunged into special measures.

A report states that the home fell well short of looking after its patients in a safe manner.

It said: “The provider did not assess or manage the risk of infection.

“They did not detect and control the risk of it spreading or share concerns with appropriate agencies promptly.

“We saw evidence of poor infection control practices throughout the care environment.

“For example, a person’s bedding was dirty and stained with blood and there was debris in their bed.

“We raised this with a member of staff and the registered manager so their bedding could be changed or replaced.

“We saw evidence of damaged floors and staining in people’s en-suite bathrooms and communal bathrooms smelled damp.

“The registered manager recognised this and said they had raised this with the provider but no action had been taken.”

The report added that the home did not understand and manage risks appropriately.

It added: “Staff did not provide care to meet people’s needs which was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things which mattered to them.

“People’s care plans and risk assessments were not completed effectively.

“For example, there was no evidence about what had been done to reduce the risk for a person who was at risk of falls following a series of falls in their bedroom in a short timeframe.

“The person was also at high risk of pressure damage.

“Their care plan stated pressure care checks on their skin integrity should be completed every two hours but this was not always the case.”

The home has now been placed into special measures.

The report said: “The purpose of special measures is to ensure services providing inadequate care make significant improvements.

“Special measures provide a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide.

“In instances where the Care Quality Commission have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.”

A spokespeson for the We Care Group, who operate the home, said: “The We Care Group team acknowledge the findings of the CQC report and accept that Byron Lodge has fallen short of our usual standards on this occasion.

“While we are incredibly sorry that this happened, we want to assure residents and relatives alike that we have already developed and implemented a comprehensive action plan with a strong focus on improving all areas highlighted by the inspection.

“We are now working closely with all team members to deliver the necessary changes as quickly and sustainably as possible, while ensuring the safety, wellbeing, and dignity of our residents.”

The home was inspected by IPC last week and scored 93 per cent.