Family shares their view on a Worksop care home after an inspection found that it requires improvement

Paula Yarnall, Graham Boddice and Debbie Bavester have spoken out about feeling let down over their mother’s care in Forest Hill Care Home.

In February, Paula and Debbie visited their mother, Anne, who has advanced stage dementia, to find her with dirty feet and a used sanitary towel stained with what looked like faeces on the floor of her personal bathroom.

After posting images on social media, CQC conducted a two-day inspection of the care home and found it requires improvement in all categories but effectiveness, which was rated as ‘good’.

The care home, run by Barchester Healthcare, provides nursing care to the elderly and adults with mental health needs. It also has a designated dementia ward, however Graham said the family believe staff to have ‘very little understanding of the condition’.

He said Anne will sleep most of the day and often paces during the night without knowledge of the time.

However, the family have alleged that staff do not encourage her to eat or drink and visited the home last week to find a plate of untouched food in her room.

Staff do however wake her to deal with her incontinence and administer personal care, but this provokes an aggressive reaction from her as she is confused, leaving her with 'bruised arms and hands', added Graham.

Graham said: "Many care homes hide behind the 'well we can’t force them to eat and drink' narrative, but are quite willing to force the residents into showers or baths.”

The family asked for a full refund of their mother’s care costs which amounts to £35,361 since her joining the home in January 2021.

The home has offered to offer a gesture of goodwill to refund two-weeks of care, costing £1,600, and that Barchester will not uphold the 28 days’ notice for Anne to be moved to another home.

Graham added: "We feel vindicated with our complaint and feel the offer of a refund of two weeks care costs as an absolute insult to mum’s dignity.

“We will continue our efforts to get her moved to a place where she is safe and looked after in a manner she deserves and pays for."

A Barchester spokesperson said the care home has taken immediate action in response to the findings of the CQC and has recognised that changes needed to be made.

They said: “We have the UK’s leading training scheme for dementia and Forest Hill is being supported by one of our specialist dementia trainers to ensure that the team is delivering the best care.

“The team is working closely with the CQC and the local authority who have acknowledged the positive changes that have been made.

“We have been in correspondence with the family of the resident to discuss the concerns that they have raised, and to acknowledge that their concerns have been taken seriously.

“We would like to reassure every one of our commitment to provide dedicated, personalised care to those living at Forest Hill and to emphasise that their health and wellbeing is at the forefront of everything we do.”

To read the CQC report of Forest Hill care home, click here.

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