A CARE home in special measures has been criticised by a resident’s
daughter.

She claims her mother has only had one bath in six months and labelled Attwoods Manor Care Home in Braintree Road, Halstead a “disgrace”.

The home was rated “inadequate” in its latest Care Quality Commission report, the lowest rating, and placed under special measures as a result.

The resident’s daughter, who chose to stay anonymous, said: “The care home really is a disgrace.

“My mum is of a stable mind, she knows exactly where she is and what is going on, the only reason she is there is because she struggles to walk.

“She has been given one bath in the last six months, when she does get washed it is just a strip wash and she is not dried properly.

“The whole place smells of urine the moment you walk in.

“It is almost like they are taken in and left.”

The resident’s daughter also criticised the activities available for
residents, claiming the majority spend their time sitting in front of a
television with little to none social, physical or mental activity.

She said: “They are left sitting in chairs all day, in front of a crackly
TV with no activities at all.

“We have been there at all times of day and there has never been anything, the staff do nothing to interact or provide activities for the residents.

"There is no ‘good morning’, no sensitivity. My mum has her duvet
ripped off at 6.30am and she is expected to get up and start the day.

“We have asked if that could change, and told them there is no
point forcing them to get up so early just to sit in a room doing nothing.

“But of course nothing changed.”

The resident’s family have tried to contact management at the care
home on numerous occasions to discuss the situation, but say they have been repeatedly ignored leaving her no option but to find an alternative solution.

She said: “We have tried on numerous occasions to meet with the
management.

“Emails have been ignored, phone calls are ignored, it is impossible
to discuss the situation with the manager. We are in the process
of moving her because it is quite frankly disgusting and completely
unacceptable.”

The Care Quality Commission inspected the home, unannounced, on
September 6 and 9 this year.

In the last 18 months the home has been inspected on five separate
occasions, including in December, 2015 when the service was found
to “require improvement” in every key area.

During the most recent inspection, the report found the service
had sufficient staff but not all demonstrated sufficient understanding
of people’s needs.

Residents did not always receive timely care, which was attributed to
poor organisation.

The service was not effectively managing people’s needs in regards
to health and safety, while medicines were poorly organised and
poorly managed.

An Essex County Council spokesman said: “We are aware of concerns
surrounding this home and are working with the home and Care Quality Commission to ensure the quality of care provided to its residents improves.

“We are committed to ensuring every resident in need of support receives the best possible care available.”

Attwoods Manor Care Home did not respond to a request for comment.