Ashfield care home finally closed down following repeated warnings from watchdog

Richmond Lodge, in Kirkby was first rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October 2022.

In February 2023, it was told to make “urgent improvements” or risk the home being closed.

Inspectors found that “staff didn’t always understand how to protect people from poor care, neglect and abuse” and there were signs of a “closed culture” within the service.

The CQC also witnessed one member of staff speaking to someone in an “inappropriate manner” which caused the person to “become distressed”.

The residential care home provided personal care for up to five people with learning disabilities.

A CQC spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Richmond Lodge has now been closed down after CQC issued a Notice of Decision to cancel the location from the provider’s registration. This means they can now no longer legally operate without CQC registration.”

Blue Sky Care Limited, which runs the home, did not respond to a request for comment.

An unannounced inspection was carried out by the CQC in August 2022 after the death of a resident.

In February 2023 the home was inspected again, but the CQC said the service remained in special measures.

For adult social care services, the maximum time for being in special measures is usually no more than 12 months.

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After the inspection, Rebecca Bauers, the CQC’s director for people with a learning disability and autistic people said inspectors were “very concerned” about the care provided by the home.

She said: “It’s unacceptable for people using this service to experience poor standards of care. People should be safe and treated with dignity and respect.”

At the time, Richard Miller, managing director of Blue Sky Care Limited, said he was “significantly disappointed” with the report and added that they were working towards a ‘good’ rating.

In May, your Chad reported that the care home was again criticised by the warchdog and told to’urgently improve’.

At the time, a spokesman said: ""The provider hadn’t addressed our previous concerns, and new issues were found which meant residents weren’t safe and were at risk of avoidable harm.”