Owners of former Nuneaton care home fined £66,000 for 'catastrophic' failures

A care provider has been ordered to pay a total of £81,308.42 after a court ruled it failed to protect residents from avoidable harm.

Oldbury Grange Nursing Home Ltd which operated Oldbury Grange Nursing Home in Nuneaton was fined £66,000 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, on Monday, January 10. It was also ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge and £15,138.42 costs to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which brought the prosecution.

The court had been told that on November 11, 2017, a female resident was attacked by someone with known mental health issues, within hours of them being admitted to the home. Due to Oldbury Grange Nursing Home Ltd not having adequate systems and processes in place for assessing new admissions, they did not carry out proper checks to mitigate any risk to that person or others. As a result of this attack, the female resident suffered a head injury. She died on January 23, 2018.

The CQC also prosecuted the provider for another incident concerning a male resident who had a catheter fitted, with a history of complications. He became unwell for several days. He was subsequently admitted to hospital on December 25, 2018. He died the following day. The court was told the provider did not have adequate processes in place for recognising and responding to people's health when it deteriorates.

Oldbury Grange Nursing Home Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe care and treatment resulting in a female resident being caused avoidable harm and a further offence of failing to provide safe care and treatment exposing a male resident to significant risk of avoidable harm.

Oldbury Grange Nursing Home was a nursing home in Nuneaton, which provided care for up to 89 people. In November 2021, the care home closed, and everyone transferred to alternative services with support from the local authority and clinical commissioning group (CCG).

CQC head of adult social care inspection, Amanda Lyndon, said: “Two residents at Oldbury Grange Nursing Home were catastrophically let down by the care provider’s poor systems and processes. CQC expects all residents to receive care and treatment in a safe way.

“Oldbury Grange Nursing Home Ltd failed in its specific legal duty to protect residents from being exposed to a significant risk of harm, which is why they have been fined £66,000.

“This prosecution reminds all care providers they must always ensure people’s safety and manage risks to their wellbeing.

“The majority of care providers do an excellent job but when they don’t, we can and will take action to hold it to account and protect people.”