Russell House, in Chalfont St Peter, placed in special measures after CQC inspection

Russell House, in Chesham Lane, which is run by the National Society for Epilepsy, was inspected by the CQC on June 24 and 25 and found to be inadequate overall.

The purpose-built facility, which has 19 residents with learning/physical disabilities and epilepsy ranging in age from 20s to 60s, was found to be inadequate in three areas, while two others were deemed to require improvement.

The results of the unannounced inspection found that relatives were generally happy with the care provided and felt the residents were safe at the facility.

However, inspectors deemed the service ‘not safe’, outlining that not enough staff were available to ensure residents’ needs were met and medication was not always signed for when administered.

At the time of the inspection, there were 18 full-time staff vacancies.

The inspector also rated the effectiveness of the service as inadequate, saying that team leaders were not suitably trained for their roles and people’s nutritional needs were not monitored and met.

The report said: “Staff were not aware of potential risks to people and these risks were not addressed or managed in a way which promoted people’s safety and well- being.

“Medical advice in relation to an accident was not followed which put the person at risk. Items such as knives and hazardous cleaning substances were not kept locked and secure.”

The inspection also found that the service was ‘not always caring’ and outlined that this area required improvement.

Some staff were noted as being ‘kind, caring and supportive’ but others ‘did not always engage positively with people and did not promote their choices and dignity.’

The report said: “People who were able to communicate with us told us they were happy living at Russell house. We saw some people appeared happy and looked relaxed and settled.

“Others appeared restless, anxious and required staff intervention to keep them safe and occupied which was not always available.”

The way the service was led was rated as inadequate, with inspectors noting that it was not effectively audited and managed to make sure people received the right care.

The responsiveness of the service requires improvement, with the inspector identifying that ‘new admissions to the home were not assessed to ensure the home could meet their needs'.

The last inspection, on January 7 last year, found the care home met standards.

No formal enforcement action has been taken at this stage but the CQC served warning notices for breaches of regulations and will inspect the service again within six months.

A spokesperson for the service said they were taking the findings of the report very seriously.

She said: “We take all feedback from Care Quality Commission (CQC) extremely seriously. We are working closely with CQC, relevant authorities and our management team to address the issues raised and have taken robust, immediate action to ensure we provide and sustain the excellent quality of care our service users expect and deserve.

“Ensuring the quality of care provided to the people we support is always our number one priority. We are proud that our care services, on the whole, receive consistent positive feedback from CQC.

“We look forward to demonstrating our improvements at this particular service in the coming weeks and months.”

View the full inspection report here.