Working at Merle Boddy House

The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to safe care and treatment including medicines management and safeguarding people from the risks of harm or abuse.

The service did not care about or promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

We identified concerns in relation to the level of staff in place overnight to meet people’s needs in the event of an emergency, such as a fire. With 2 staff on shift at night time, there would not be sufficient numbers of staff to support an evacuation.

Staff had not received specialist training to ensure they could best support people living with dementia.

We identified significant failings in the lack of oversight of the service at a board of trustee level. This did not ensure board members were aware of risk and concern arising from the service.

Blanket restrictive practices found within the service impacted on people’s levels of choice and control over their daily routines.