A BRADFORD care home is to appeal an Inadequate rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a damning inspection report.

Inspectors from the health watchdog visited Burger Court, on Barkerend Road, in the first two weeks of March and branded the home Inadequate overall and in every area apart from ‘Is the service caring?’ which received the Requires Improvement rating.

Burger Court is a residential care home for people aged 18 and over. At the time of the inspection, 12 people were using the service.

A report from the visit said: “Risks to people were not well managed, placing them at risk of harm or injury. People had no means of summoning help from staff in an emergency as the call bell system had been removed and no alternative measures had been put in place.

“Risk management plans were not effective as they were not implemented. For example, people had signed up to the house rules and agreed to hand in their lighters and only smoke outside the home. Incident reports showed this was not happening and people had been found smoking in the home, yet no further action had been taken to mitigate these risks.

“Some people’s behaviour presented risks to other people and staff and this was identified in risk assessments.

“However, appropriate actions had not been taken to mitigate these risks and ensure people’s safety. Internal safety checks were carried out, however robust contingency plans were not in place.”

A number of other concerns were raised including that medicines were not always managed safely and competency checks to ensure staff were following safe working practices were not carried out consistently.

The CQC also said there was not enough staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe - while care records showed some people required one-to-one support and close observation, staffing levels “made this unachievable”.

The report said: “People did not experience person-centred care; their needs were not properly assessed before they started using the service and care plans were not up to date.”

“People were not supported to take part in meaningful and appropriate activities in the home or in the local community.”

It added: “People told us staff had no time to spend with them in activities or conversations.

“One person said ‘It’s not good for my mental health having too much time to sit around and think about things’.

“None of the people who used the service were supported to take part in work or educational activities.”

The CQC said there was a lack of “clear and effective” leadership.

The report said: “We have identified multiple breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, risks to people’s safety and welfare, medicines, staffing, training and support, safeguarding, consent to care and treatment, person centred care, supporting people to be involved in the local community and monitoring, assessing and improving the service.”

Its rating means it is now in special measures.

A spokesperson for Valorum Care, which runs the home, said: “We are appealing the rating as we are satisfied we have dealt with all the concerns expressed by the CQC.

“As always, the health, safety and welfare of our residents and our staff remains our key priority.”