The WORST care homes in England revealed in new map showing ‘inadequate’ providers

Nearly 250 care homes across England are currently providing an ‘inadequate’ service, with some residents living in ‘unclean and unsafe’ conditions.

It comes as criticism of the government’s handling of the social care system during the pandemic continues to grow due to the leaked WhatsApp messages of then Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

In one exchange, Mr Hancock was found to have ignored guidance from Sir Chris Whitty, No. 10’s top medical adviser, who insisted testing should be done for ‘all to care homes’ – something Mr Hancock said ‘ muddled the waters’.

MailOnline analyzed data from inspection reports across the country and found that the Southeast region was the worst performing area with 44 facilities not up to standard.

Of these, 14 were in Kent – making it the county with the highest number of deficient assessments in the country.

When a care home is assessed as unsatisfactory by the CQC, the watchdog takes enforcement action against the centre.

This can range from deregistering underperforming facilities to taking criminal action against providers under whose supervision significant damage has occurred or is likely to occur.

The survey found that London had 17 care homes that were currently rated poorly, while the best performing area of ​​the country was the North East, where only three care homes were rated as unsatisfactory.

Data showed that 239 care homes were rated ‘unsatisfactory’ and 2,530 ‘room for improvement’.

Check out our map below to see the care homes in England that have been assessed as unsatisfactory or need improvement.

Some are currently under review and a new report will be published when complete.

(All data has been downloaded from the CQC and is correct as of February 28, 2023)

Two service providers – Achieve Together and Modus Care – are listed as currently having five inadequate facilities each, making them the worst-performing service providers in the country.

An extract from a report given to an Achieve Together care home in Hampshire for under-65s, specializing in autistic and mental health needs, showed that it was not providing residents with a service that provided them with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care and that it “wasn’t clean or homey.”

Achieve Together told the Mail that since the inspection reports were published, one care home had closed, bringing the total to four.

A spokesperson for the provider said: ‘Our aim is to continue to improve and provide the best specialist support. Unsatisfactory ratings fall far short of the standards we set for ourselves and which the people we support rightly expect and deserve.

“We are rapidly improving these four homes, which represent 1.5% of our registered homes and services.”

Meanwhile, Modus Care operated five care homes in Cornwall that have not yet been inspected by the CQC and were thus still ‘unsatisfactory’.

At the end of last year, the operator took over control of five services from previous Spectrum providers that had been deregistered by the CQC for failing to provide adequate care.

All five centers were rated unsatisfactory at their last inspection last year and the operator has said improvements are being made.

Martyn Heginbotham, Modus Care’s chief operating officer, said: ‘Very recently we were asked to take over the operation of these five services due to the previous provider’s failure resulting in them being assessed as inadequate and action being taken by the supervisor. (CQC).

‘Thanks to our expertise and experience in the sector, we can adapt them to provide the very best care and support to the people who live there.

“We have worked with both the Care Quality Commission and the local authority and have already introduced new policies and procedures and plans for significant investment in the structure of the buildings. All five services will benefit from ongoing support from our senior team.

‘We are confident that the care that is currently being provided will improve sustainably, that people will have a better life and that our colleagues will feel supported.’

Responding to the data, the Care Quality Commission said that while most care homes are ‘excellent’, they were not afraid to take action.

A CQC spokesperson said: ‘Most care homes in England are either good or excellent and this reflects the incredible efforts of carers and caregivers who have gone to great lengths to provide high quality care.

However, in some locations this is not the case. When our inspections find that people are not receiving care that meets their needs and expectations, we take regulatory action to ensure that this improves.

“If people are concerned about the care they or their loved ones are receiving, we encourage them to share their experiences with us so that we can respond.”