Care home closed over “serious” care and hygiene failings
Posted: 2nd November 2015
Posted in: Medical Negligence 
Following an investigation carried out by Care Quality Commission, which uncovered unacceptable practices and abuse of patients, Clitheroe’s Calderstones Hospital, the UK’s only specialist hospital for patients with learning disabilities, will close. Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission heavily criticised the hospital in December upon completion of a widespread review carried out by them.
The Care Quality Commission discovered that staffing levels were not adequate to care sufficiently for the patients in the 233 beds, that there were too many instances of patients being restrained while face down, as well as “serious deficiencies” in hygiene and overall quality of care.
Winterbourne View Care Home Abuse Scandal
The Commission carried out their investigation following the Winterbourne View care home abuse scandal in Gloucestershire which was revealed by the BBC’s Panorama documentary in 2011.
In response to news of the closure, NHS England has announced that some of the patients will be cared for in their own homes, whilst others will be taken into other facilities. The Service’s Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, stated “As good and necessary as some inpatient care can be, people with learning disabilities are clear they want to live in homes, not hospitals”. He added that due to a lack of community services, inpatient beds have been used as a long-term solution, costing on average more than £175,000 per year.
Mersey Care NHS Trust will be taking over the Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation next July and intend to develop the hospital into a “centre of excellence” that will transform learning disability care.
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