Gordon Lodge Rest Home in Westgate has shut down following CQC action after it was rated inadequate and placed in special measures last December.
Gordon Lodge, which was run by Fleming Care Homes Limited, provided support for up to 33 older people but shut its doors for good last Friday (January 31).
An inspection by the Care Quality Commission in September was prompted to check on the progress of improvements the home was told to make following previous enforcement action.
Following this inspection, Gordon Lodge dropped from requires improvement to being rated inadequate overall and was placed in special measures to be kept under close review. At that time, CQC said it would be using its regulatory powers further.
Inspectors found a “decline in the level of care being provided and a culture at Gordon Lodge Rest Home, which put people at an increased risk of coming to harm.
“The poor workplace culture directly affected the quality of care. Staff left their jobs due to lack of support and involvement in service improvements, leading to understaffing and inconsistent care.”
At the time of the report publication a spokesperson for Gordon Lodge said they were disappointed with the CQC findings but added that measures had been taken to implement improvements.
The CQC has confirmed it then took action to cancel the service, a decision that was unsuccessfully appealed by Fleming Care Homes.
Following the failure of the appeal Fleming Care Homes said it would shut Gordon Lodge as of February 7 but actually closed its doors last week.
A CQC spokesperson said: “Following an inspection of Gordon Lodge Rest Home, run by Fleming Care Homes Limited, CQC took action to remove their registration, in effect cancelling the service.
“Fleming Care Homes Limited appealed our decision during a first-tier tribunal as part of the legal process open to all providers registered with CQC. The tribunal made a judgment in favour of CQC and the provider had a right to appeal this judgement.
“Following the tribunal we were informed by the local authority that Fleming Care Homes Limited weren’t going to appeal the judge’s decision and intended to close the home from 7 February 2025.
“People living at the home (have) moved to alternative accommodation and the provider will work with the local authority and other partners as needed.
“It is always a last resort for CQC to take action which may result in a service that people call home closing, as we understand the distress and upset this can cause.
“However, people using services should receive safe, effective and high-quality care that meets their needs. Where that isn’t happening, we take action to support services to improve, and if they aren’t able to, take further action such as cancelling their registration to keep people safe.”
Terrifying! Successive governments have failed to address social care, and its a disgrace that elderly people are having to sell up, and use their savings to go into sub standard accommodation! Bring it back into council control, and employ properly trained staff, and make it free! Why should some people who have property, and savings have to pay for their care, when someone in the next room who has neither, gets the same care for free. Its just so unjust! Like everything else that was privatised, its failed! Introduce a National Care Service, with a National Care Insurance!
Not at all-the last several years the governments have decided to increase the amount people pay into pension funds from their wages-whether they want to or not, while raising the retirement age.
In the next 10-20 years-if AI Bots have not caused everybody to be fired then it will be like India-you work until you drop & never get to see your retirement/be able to enjoy it, or have need for the pension.
Social care funding is as you say a total mess, but probably worse than you say, 10% of a council tax bill in Kent is a social care precept, which is little more than some sort of assumed wealth tax with the added insult of being taken from earnt income. Council tax is fast becoming unaffordable for many, an absolute bargain for the family of 4 in a 2 up 2 down but ruinous for a single person in a larger home, the cost of downsizing traps many older home owners.
Even more galling for those owner occupiers who’ll be paying for their own care is they still have a property when care is needed.
Of course these silent cross subsidies also occur within our energy and water bills. Really is well past the time where there is an honest reckoning as to how much those that pay the full whack of all these extras pay and how much those on the receiving end of our largess actually receive. Just as councils and the public sector should be forced to publish the amounts they contribute to their employees pensions, the sums are eye watering and way beyond the means of most workers to fund.
In the case of the home in the article was it a home that was primarily used by TDC / other councils for publicly funded care ? Ior self funders?