Piggy Lane receives further criticism

A health authority has been criticised for the third time in four months over staff and safety issues at a home for the disabled.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) watchdog is taking enforcement action over Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Piggy Lane care home in Bicester, following a January inspection.

Staff at the care home were “constantly stretched” and warned of a “long-standing problem with a lack of care staff” which senior leaders knew about, says the CQC report.

It comes a week after the trust’s apology over a teenager’s death. An independent report concluded 15-minute checks on Connor Sparrowhawk, 18, at Slade House, Headington, Oxford, were unsafe.

The Headington teen died from drowning probably caused by an epileptic seizure, the NHS has said.  And the facility – for people with serious learning disabilities – closed admissions in September ahead of a damning CQC report in November.

Piggy Lane consists of two bungalows for five people with physical and learning disabilities.

The CQC said: “There were not enough skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs and safeguard their safety and welfare. They had far too much to do and this sometimes compromised the safety of the care they could deliver.”

One member of staff reported an OAP left the building unnoticed while staff looked after another resident and another said as few as two members of staff could be on duty at certain times.

Staff worked 14-hour shifts without breaks. A manager confirmed this, saying they were paid for 14 and did not “work all of that time”.

The report added: “During our inspection, the managers spent the majority of the day in their office on the unit and appeared to be unengaged with staff and people there.”
Staff felt “badly managed” by the on-site managers and “let down” by the trust, it said.