Residents left wearing same underwear for several days running at inadequate Castleford care home

Brookfield, on Brookfield Avenue in Castleford, has been placed into special measures after it was deemed ‘inadequate’ by the health watchdog.

The home is run by Bondcare, who are also responsible for a similar facility on Carlton Avenue in Castleford. That home was placed in special measures last month after people living there were found to be at risk of financial abuse.

Managers at Brookfield also failed to tell the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about a serious allegation of abuse which involved a staff member towards one of the residents.

Inspectors said that the home had “significantly deteriorated” since their last visit in January this year, when it was already deemed to be in breach of two regulations.

In their report, the CQC said that food supplies were running low and there was no toilet roll in the home on the day of their visit, on June 4.

Inspectors added: “The manager told us this was identified as an issue the previous Friday and no-one had done any shopping over the weekend.

“The communication book showed there had been previous problems with food and other supplies.”

Brookfield was also heavily criticised for not treating residents “with respect” and the CQC said that people’s dignity was “not always maintained”.

They said they found written evidence from February which “stated one person needed new underwear as they had been wearing the same underwear for three days”.

The report added: “An entry two days later asked staff again to buy new underwear as the same ones had now been worn for five days. The member of staff told us the person displayed a certain behaviour which meant they went through a lot of underwear.

“We concluded the care the person received was not appropriate and did not meet their needs.”

Parts of the building were described as “tired and shabby” and residents had little to do except watch television, inspectors said.

Unusually for any home placed in special measures, the home was graded inadequate on all five criteria used by the CQC to judge its fitness.

Although the regulator had been told about two allegations of abuse at the home in the previous months, a separate incident was not reported.

An incident in which one resident was “harmed” by other people living at the home also went unrecorded.

A spokeswoman for Bondcare said: “We are working closely with CQC to address the issues found at Brookfield.

“This have given us the opportunity to review our systems and processes to ensure that they are compliant.

“We have a robust action plan in place and have made immediate changes within the service and will continue to liaise with the regulators to ensure that we maintain compliance.”

The company refused to confirm whether or not an investigation had taken place into the abuse allegation and whether the staff member concerned was still employed at Brookfield.

When a home is placed in special measures, the local authority is notified as a matter of course.

Rob Hurren, director of integrated care at Wakefield Council, said: “It is vitally important that all people living in care homes receive high quality care and support.

“We are working closely with the CQC to monitor the progress made by the privately-run Brookfield in addressing the concerns raised.

“We are also working directly with them to ensure that residents receive safe and appropriate care to meet their needs.”

David Spereall , Local Democracy Reporting Service