Care Quality Commission takes action to protect people at Cheshire care home

The Care Quality Commission, has rated Priesty Fields Care Home in Congleton as inadequate and placed the service into special measures following an inspection in January.

The home, run by Sandstone Care Cheshire Limited, is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 78 people.

CQC identified nine breaches of regulation at this inspection, some of which related to providing safe, individualised care and the management of the service.

This is the first time the home has been inspected since it has been taken over by Sandstone Care Cheshire Limited. The overall rating, as well as the ratings for the areas of safe and well-led, is inadequate. How effective, caring and responsive the service is have been rated as requires improvement.

The home has been placed in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people already living there safe while improvements are made.

Karen Knapton, CQC Deputy Director of Operations for Cheshire and Merseyside, said:

“At this inspection, we found that leaders at Priesty Fields Care Home had failed to provide safe care that met the individual needs and preferences of the people in its care.

“People we spoke with had mixed feedback about the quality of care they received. Some spoke positively about the permanent staff and felt their care was safe and effective. However, we heard concerns about the high staff turnover and number of agency staff employed at the home which made people’s care inconsistent and less likely to be in line with their personal preferences.

“Leaders didn't identify risks of harm or injury and didn’t take steps to mitigate these risks and protect the people in their care. Our team saw two instances where people weren’t given the appropriate equipment to help reduce the risk of them falling. People living with dementia also had unrestricted access to a balcony, and leaders hadn’t carried out an assessment to reduce the risk of them falling.

“It was concerning that we saw signs of a closed culture. People and their families didn’t have access to their care plans. The home couldn’t explain to us why this was, and we found that one relative’s complaint about access was wrongly denied when we asked about it.

“It was good to see people had access to a range of activities when activity coordinators were on duty. However, one person shared their frustrations of living on a higher floor and being unable to get out into fresh air unsupervised, which made them feel trapped.

“We have told Priesty Fields Care Home where urgent action is needed to address breaches of legal regulations. They must make improvements to ensure people’s safety, and we will keep the home under close review while this happens.”

Inspectors found:

• Leaders didn’t always act on staff concerns, and staff felt uncomfortable approaching leaders. This impacted people’s cares in ways like staff not acting quickly to highlight safeguarding concerns to keep people safe because they didn’t feel comfortable doing so. 

• People were unhappy with the variety and quality of some food. However, by the end of the inspection, the home had appointed a new chef and people said the food quality had improved.  

• Staff didn’t always treat people with kindness, empathy, compassion, or respect their privacy and dignity.  

• Leaders lacked oversight of staff and services which negatively affected the quality of the care people received. They didn’t have effective systems in place to keep people safe and manage risks.

However:

• The home had various facilities on the ground floor which people enjoyed using, including an enclosed garden, spa, pub and patio. 

The report will be published on CQC’s website in the coming days. 

CQC uses feedback from people using services, their loved ones, and staff to help detect any changes in care. CQC also uses this information to help it decide when and where to inspect.  If there is evidence people are at immediate risk of harm, CQC can and will take action to ensure that people are being kept safe.

CQC encourages people to give feedback about their care to via the details below:

1. Give feedback via the website

2. If you are deaf or hard of hearing the SignLive and text relay service enable you to give feedback in BSL or via the Relay UK app.

3. Telephone - 03000 616161 

Here's a statement from Priesty Fields Care Home...

“We are disappointed with the CQC’s findings following the inspection, which began seven months ago in November 2024. The report, only just published now, does not reflect the significant progress that has been made at the service since that time.

“Since the inspection, we have appointed a completely new management team at the home, supported by a new regional leadership team. This has driven forward substantial improvements in care, governance, and overall service quality.

“We have worked closely and constructively with the Local Authority and other key stakeholders throughout, and we remain fully committed to delivering safe, person-centred care.

“We have requested that CQC revisit the home to see the improvements, but unfortunately, we have not yet received a response. We believe strongly that the service today is markedly different and improved from the one inspected seven months ago.”