Bupa care homes costing up to £1K-a-week slammed as inadequate with elderly patients left filthy and in distress
The healthcare giant is being forced to bring 90 of its 238 UK homes up to scratch
A THIRD of Bupa care homes are inadequate or require improvement, a damning report has revealed.
The healthcare giant has been told it is being forced into immediate action to bring 90 of its 238 UK homes up to scratch.
In some cases accommodation, which can cost £1,000 a week, was branded dangerously understaffed, an investigation by the Daily Mail reported.
Some inspections found cases of elderly residents left filthy, malnourished, dehydrated and in distress.
The probe into the firm seen by many as the gold standard in elderly care has exposed a culture of “filling beds” with “little recognition” of the dangers of under-staffing.
These include residents being left malnourished and dehydrated. Others had been left in bed all day because there are not enough carers to get them dressed.
A third of the Bupa’s 238 UK care homes are now considered either “inadequate” or “require improvement” by the Care Quality Commission.
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Of these, 78 were categorised as “requiring improvement”, which means they are “not performing as well as they should”.
Twelve homes were given the lowest possible rating of “inadequate” – meaning the regulator has had to take action.
Inspections by the Care Quality Commission have also indicated the under-staffing means some care homes are guilty of multiple breaches of the law.
Acting general manager of Bupa UK Care Services Joan Elliott said: “Any allegations are immediately investigated, and we take swift action where there are failings.
“We have strict staffing standards in all our homes and if we are short staffed it is standard practice to cover shifts by bringing in additional nurses or carers.”