Ideal Carehomes has been instructed to pay a refund to the family of a resident who was overcharged by 11 days during her stay at a care home.

An investigation by the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman also found Elworth Grange Care Home had kept poor personal care records and offered a lack of activities to the resident, referred to as Mrs Y, during her 37-day stay which began in late September 2022.

The Ombudsman found the care home had raised Mrs Y’s family’s expectations about daily activities on offer and failed to deliver after she took part on just four occasions. He noted the home had subsequently recruited additional activities staff to increase its offering.

The Ombudsman also found fault with the care home’s record keeping as it was unclear whether on some days whether Mrs Y had washed independently or had a shower of bath as all three were recorded as happening at the same time on the same day.

Fault was also found with incontinence products being left on Mrs Y’s shelf and in her pedal bin.

However, the Ombudsman noted the home’s records show Mrs Y ate well, was checked on regularly through the night with the care provider having no concerns about her weight while. A private social workersemployed by the home also report Mrs Y was settled.

The Ombudsman recommended that the care home apologised to Mrs Y’s daughter and pay her £200 to acknowledge the distress, uncertainty and frustration caused by the faults identified.

Elworth Grange was also advised  to refund Mrs Y for the 11 days it overcharged and ensure personal care records are accurately completed, as well as remind staff of the need to dispose incontinence products correctly.

An Ideal Carehomes spokesperson said: “We take all feedback seriously and the care of our residents will always be our main priority.  We respect the decisions made by the Ombudsman and have been in contact with our former resident and their family to fully resolve this matter. 

“Our senior management team has been providing additional support to the home and as mentioned in the Ombudsman’s findings, the impact of this is already evident. Along with our caring team, we will ensure that Elworth Grange maintains its high standards in future, as reflected in their recent Care Quality Commission rating of Good in all key lines of enquiry.”