The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has closed a Market Drayton hospital for people with learning disabilities and autism after it found people using the service were at sustained risk of harm.
CQC inspected Eldertree Lodge in Ashley, which is run by Coveberry, in May and June to determine whether the service had addressed failings found during an inspection in March.
The previous inspection rated the hospital inadequate, required it to provide regular progress reports and barred admission of new patients.
This latest inspection found the failings had not been addressed and people continued to receive unsafe care. The CQC also revealed its inspectors found instances where people had been subjected to abuse.
Due to these continued issues, CQC rated the hospital inadequate for a second time and removed its registration to provide inpatient treatment and high-dependency rehabilitation services, thereby closing the hospital.
Following the decision to close the site, all patients were supported to transfer to other services by the end of June.
CQC added its action to close the service was not publishable until now as Coveberry was entitled to a statutory period during which it had the right to appeal. No appeal was lodged.
Site closure is last resort
CQC deputy chief inspector for people with a learning disability and autistic people Debbie Ivanova noted there was little sign of improvement.
“After our March inspection found people were at risk of harm at Eldertree Lodge, we supported Coveberry Limited to help it improve the care it provided its patients by identifying areas it urgently needed to address,” she said.
“Disappointingly, progress was not made. Our subsequent inspection, in May and June, found people continued to receive unsafe care.
“In some cases, people were subjected to abuse and interactions that lacked compassion, dignity or respect. This is unacceptable and people deserved better.”
She added: “The lack of progress between the two inspections did not assure us Coveberry could deliver the change it desperately needed to make at Eldertree Lodge. Consequently, we took action to close the hospital.
“Closing a service is a last resort, but we do not hesitate to act proportionally when people are at risk of harm or receiving poor care.”
Insufficient time to implement improvements
In response, a Coveberry spokesperson claimed the company had insufficient time to implement the changes demanded by the CQC.
“Eldertree Lodge, a high-dependency rehabilitation service, came under Coveberry’s control as part of a wider transfer completed at the end of November 2020.
“Upon taking control at Eldertree, Coveberry, alongside other stakeholders, recognised the need for improvements at the site and initiated an action plan to upgrade the standard of services, facilities and the environment as well as enhance training support for staff. New leadership was also put in place.”
The firm noted that managers, working closely with commissioners and local health partners, implemented a significant plan to address the CQC’s initial concerns but the regulator felt the improvement had been insufficient.
“Rather than appeal CQC’s decision, Coveberry worked closely with commissioners, NHS England and CQC to ensure the safe and smooth transfer of patients as its absolute priority, while putting measures into place to ensure that staff at Eldertree Lodge were fully supported,” it continued.
“While Coveberry is confident that improvements were being made to the service offering, the company believes there was insufficient time available to implement the necessary improvements to the service and its philosophy of care to the satisfaction of the regulator.
“Coveberry’s present focus is to take on board the lessons learned from its short period of running the service and to focus on a future reopening based on a new service redesign and reposition.”