The Willows, in Crabbe Street, Ipswich, shuts as Care Quality Commission continues action

An Ipswich elderly care home has shut while action was being taken against it after the providers failed to improve the quality of its care.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated The Willows, in Crabbe Street, as inadequate for the second time after a visit in January.

The watchdog said the home’s leaders did not protect people from avoidable harm such as by not consistently preventing people from the risk of getting pressure sores or by updating care plans.

The Willows was being run by Hazeldell Ltd at the time of the inspection.

However, the provider handed the contract back to Suffolk County Council and voluntarily closed the home on March 31. The CQC said it would continue regulatory action.

In its report, the CQC said staff didn’t ensure residents were safe in their rooms, which led to patients locking their own doors to prevent people entering.

However, safeguarding issues were raised when it was discovered that some still managed to enter others’ rooms.

In addition, the home did not provide enough activities to keep residents engaged, which left many bored, nor did staff properly inform them about events taking place.

The home was slammed for not properly involving people in care plans and family involvement was inconsistent.

Food was a common cause for complaint, the CQC said, with some residents telling inspectors that there was ‘only one good meal per week’.

However, some relatives noted there were efforts made to improve the quality of the food.

Despite the home’s issues, families said staff were kind and staffing levels had been improved.

They appreciated being able to visit freely, the CQC said.

The Willows looked after 40 residents at the time of the inspection.

All were either elderly or living with dementia.

The CQC was in close contact with the county council to ensure all residents were moved to new accommodation safely after its closure.