Resident of Southsea care home ‘went missing overnight’ – and inspectors slate it for leaving people ‘unsafe and at risk’

NEW council placements at a Southsea care home have been halted after a report found residents were 'at risk' and detailed a case in which one went missing overnight.
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A damning report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found all areas of care at the Beaconsfield Residential Care Home in Nelson Road to be 'inadequate', placing it into special measures, after an inspection in November.

As a result Portsmouth City Council is stopping referrals to the home, which provides personal care for up to 22 people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities.

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At the time of inspection 21 residents were cared for at Beaconsfield.

The CQC noted that safety regulations were not met. In the report it said: 'People were not safe and were at risk of avoidable harm.'

'Most people were living with mental health conditions including schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, alcohol dependency, behaviours that challenged and hoarding.

'Appropriate assessments of the risks associated with these conditions had not been undertaken and plans to reduce any risks or ensure they could be managed if they occurred had not been developed.'

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It was revealed on one occasion that staff failed to act when a resident had gone missing overnight. 'We found records which confirmed a person had not returned to the service all night,' the report said.

'A staff member told us this person usually returned to the service by midnight and they would be concerned if they had not. Despite staff recognising the person had not come home, they failed to act to ensure the person was safe.

'Staff became aware of this person's whereabouts the following day when notified by external professionals they had come to harm. Staff had not reported this person as missing.'

There were also concerns around lack of fire safety as well as disregard for staff hiring practices, when employment history forms on applications were cut to save paper.

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The council's head of health, Councillor Matthew Winnington, said that the privately-run site would be monitored in the future. He said: 'There are 18 residents at Beaconsfield whose care is funded by the council. We've halted any new placements.

'We're working to make sure the residents are safe, well and reassured. We're visiting them twice a week, reviewing their care to make sure it's suitable, and assessing any risks.

'We're talking to their relatives to help reassure them too. We'll keep a very close watch on the situation and are pleased that a new manager has taken over at the home, and that it has an action plan for improvement.'

Prices at the home range from £350-£400 a week per person.

Beaconsfield had previously been given a 'requires improvement' rating by the CQC in 2017. Another inspection will take place in six months to consider the future of the home.

The owner of Beaconsfield, Rajendra Mahadeo, declined to comment.