The Care Quality Commission (CQC), has rated Falcon House Care Home as inadequate and placed it into special measures to protect people following an inspection in March 2025.
Falcon House Care Home, run by Minster Care Management Limited, is a care home in Nottingham that supports older people living with dementia and physical disabilities. The home supported 35 people at the time of this inspection.
At this inspection, CQC found six breaches of regulation relating to safeguarding, safe care and treatment, consent, providing person-centred care, management and oversight, and medicines management. CQC has issued a warning notice to the provider, highlighting where improvements are needed.
The overall rating for the service, and the ratings for how safe and well-led the service is, have dropped from good to inadequate. The ratings for how effective, caring and responsive the service have dropped from good to requires improvement.
The service has been placed in special measures, which means it will be kept under close review by CQC to keep people being supported safe while improvements are made.
Greg Rielly, CQC deputy director of operations in the midlands, said:
“We were disappointed to find that the standard of care that Falcon House Care Home provided had dropped since our previous inspection. While people were generally pleased with the service and said that staff treated them with kindness and compassion, we found that parts of their care didn’t meet the required standards to be safe and effective.
“Staff didn’t involve people in planning their care and treatment. They also failed to keep plans updated to consider changes in people’s health and care needs. Our team saw that staff hadn’t recorded important details from partner organisations in people’s records. These records made it harder for staff to understand people’s needs and provide effective care.
“The home wasn’t a safe and clean environment, and equipment wasn’t well-maintained to mitigate risks. The fire service had served an enforcement notice on the home last year as it wasn’t safe in the event of a fire. We found that the home hadn’t made all the necessary improvements, with corridors and stairwells not cleared of blockages.
“The home had a poor culture which meant that staff didn’t feel comfortable raising concerns. Staff felt that leaders would try to blame staff for incidents rather than accept responsibility and identify improvements. Leaders also didn’t review or act on complaints that the home received.
“The home lacked opportunities for activities to keep people physically and mentally active. While some activities were provided during the inspection, the inspection team observed that people were mainly seated in the communal lounge for extended periods of time, and staff didn’t reposition or interact with them.
“We have told leaders at Falcon House Care Home where improvements are urgently needed. We will keep the service under close review and monitor their progress while this happens.”
Inspectors found:
- Leaders didn’t investigate incidents thoroughly to help identify improvements and learning opportunities to make the service safer for people.
- Leaders didn’t ensure that staff had the appropriate training and skills to carry out their roles. One example was that although some people needed support managing diabetes, kitchen staff hadn’t received appropriate training in diabetes management to support people’s dietary needs.
- The home needed to work more closely with partners to provide the best possible outcomes for people and make sure people experienced consistent care when moving between services.
- Staff didn’t help people understand the care and treatment they received. They didn’t always respect people’s preferences and wishes.
- Falcon House failed to consistently follow safeguarding processes or make referrals in a timely manner.
- Staff didn’t support people to manage their personal cleanliness and hygiene, with records highlighting that limited personal care was being provided for people.
- The home didn’t manage medicines effectively. The information held in their medicine management system wasn’t accurate and showed incorrect stock levels. Staff hadn’t stored medicines securely in people’s ensuite bathrooms.
- Staff got residents up and ready for the day very early in the morning. It wasn’t clear from records and speaking to people if this was their decision or a routine to aid staff.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the coming days.