Staff at inadequate Northampton care home 'rude, racist and hateful'

A mental health care home has been placed into special measures after inspectors were told staff there were "rude, hateful and racist".

Broomhill in Spratton, Northamptonshire was rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission and placed into special measures.

The inspectors said people using the service were assaulting each other and managers were not dealing with the issues appropriately.

Those using the care home told inspectors they "didn't always feel safe on the wards".

However, inspectors found the the ward teams had access to the full range of specialists needed to meet the needs of people on the wards.

Broomhill, which is run by St Matthews Limited, is made up of 99 acute and high dependency rehab beds.

The latest inspection in July 2023 was carried out unannounced to assess ongoing concerns received by whistleblowers and to check previous actions plans had been put in place.

Inspectors found "staff didn't always treat people with compassion and kindness, dignity or respect."

One person said they had been "ridiculed by staff over their chosen gender."

Another told inspectors staff were "rude, hateful, racist" and they "didn't take them out into the community because of their body size."

Concerns were raised about the cleanliness of the wards with one patient seeing a mouse in his room.

Inspectors found wards were not clean or well maintained, adding they found ripped, dirty and damaged furniture and fittings.

However, the inspection found staff had developed care plans informed by a comprehensive assessment which was an improvement on previous inspection findings.

Craig Howarth, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: “Staff didn’t always treat people with compassion and kindness, dignity, or respect. A third of people we spoke to, told us that they had to wait to have their needs met.

"One person told us they had been ridiculed by staff over their chosen gender. Another person told us staff were rude, hateful, racist and didn’t take them out into the community because of their body size.

"This is totally unacceptable behaviour and must be addressed by the provider as a priority as no-one deserves to be treat like this especially at what can be a very distressing time."

He added: "It’s concerning the hospital has a history of failing to respond adequately to serious concerns raised by us.

"While leaders do submit action plans to address the issues, we find these actions aren’t always sustained or embedded which could put people at risk of harm.

“However, following this inspection last July, the provider has informed us they have made some improvements, and they have engaged positively with us, and local health and social care partners in response to the concerns raised.

“If sufficient progress hasn’t been made next time we assess the hospital, we won’t hesitate to use our enforcement powers to ensure people’s safety and well-being.”

The report also highlighted concerns including:

• Staff were not routinely offering people regular access to activities that promoted rehabilitation such as employment and education opportunities.

• Staff had not always followed best practice after administration of rapid tranquillisation.

• There were limited rooms for use as quiet areas on some wards.

• Staff had not always made sure that people were fully involved in the development and ongoing monitoring of their care plans.

A spokesman for Broomhill said management accepted the findings but that the report was no longer "reflective of the current service", adding that it had taken mitigation measures which had satisfied its funding authorities.

"We are grateful for the ongoing invaluable support and guidance from the CQC team and the Northamptonshire ICB [integrated care board] throughout the seven-month period since the inspection.

"During this time, we have worked closely with both internal and external stakeholders including the Quality Improvement Board to implement a range of improvements at Broomhill which have resulted in significant positive changes.

"We look forward to showcasing these improvements at the next CQC inspection."

They added that patient safety was "our utmost priority" and the home was determined to improve.

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