THREE Calderdale care homes that charge up to £600 a week have been blacklisted by the council.
Referrals to Clover House, Pellon Lane Care Home and Heath Bank Nursing Home, all in Halifax, have been suspended by Calderdale Council until improvements are made.
All three homes, with a total of 200 beds, have been placed in the poor category b
y the Care Quality Commission.
Cold rooms, a lack of staff and protection issues were just some of the issues highlighted in reports by the commission.
Under new rules due to start in October, the homes could lose their licences unless they dramatically improve.
Jonathan Phillips, Calderdale Council's director of adult health and social care, said the commission had identified a number of care quality concerns. He said: "We have therefore suspended admissions until the concerns have been addressed.
"In the meantime, the homes will be subject to increased scrutiny from council staff to ensure the issues are being properly dealt with and that the people who live there are safe." The council stopped referring people to Clover House, a 39-bed home in Savile Road, Halifax, in November 2008 after being continually assessed as poor.
The report from the latest unannounced inspection identified issues which could "adversely affect the safety of residents" at the home, which has not had a registered manager since July 2006.
Some bedrooms were cold and there were too few staff to make sure it was clean and hygienic.
The owners of Pellon Lane Care Centre, Halifax, which consists of Pellon Manor, Brackenbed View and Birkshall Mews, have been told by inspectors to make sure systems are in place to protect people.
A report said: "Residents are not consistently kept safe from possible abuse, staff recruitment has not been robust and has left people at risk of being cared for by staff who may not be suitable."
It also said the home had failed to tell the commission about two staff members dismissed for gross misconduct.
At Heath Bank Nursing Home, Linden Road, Halifax, inspectors found medicine mix-ups and poor management.
The council has clamped down on poor practice in care homes since the Courier Stop the Abuse campaign, which highlighted shortcomings in some establishments.
Clover House: Need for full-time manager Heath Bank Nursing Home: Pain relief 'missing'Pellon Lane Care Centre: Residents 'not always safe'The £15m bill for the old folk
Comment
