The Care Quality Commission discovered dehydration, serious medication errors, wrongful deprivation of liberty and staffing levels cut below the level stipulated in the contract with Westminster city council. The council outsourced the running of the the home to Sanctuary Care in 2015 as part of an eight-year contract worth £126m to “deliver savings”. A Metropolitan police spokesman said: “An investigation is under way, working with partner agencies including Westminster city council and the Care Quality Commission. Inquiries continue.”Adam Hug, the leader of the opposition Labour group in Westminster, said: “The CQC’s findings are a damning assessment of the quality of care being provided by Sanctuary that has let down Westminster residents and put them at risk of harm. We are carefully considering the next steps with the NHS, but we’re clear that the safety and care of our residents remains our priority.”Sarah Clarke-Kuehn, the group director for care at Sanctuary Care, said: “We are very sorry that the standard of care at Garside House fell far short of that which we aim to provide.

Source: The Guardian January 05, 2020 15:22 UTC