Croydon care home rated ‘inadequate’ after toilet left leaking for two weeks

By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter

A Croydon care home could be forced to shut down after inspectors found a toilet was left leaking for two weeks without being fixed.

It comes four years on from a fire which destroyed the building and temporarily shut the service.

An anonymous tip-off to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) raised concerns about the standards of care at Rosenmanor Limited in Bensham Manor Road, Thornton Heath.

The care home was rated ‘inadequate’ and has been put under special measures.

But manager Parvadee Shumoogam has hit back at the damning report, saying she was in the process of challenging it.

There was a huge fire at the care home in February 2019 and it was only reopened in September 2021. Ms Shumoogam claims £600,000 was spent on renovating the building.

But inspectors said the provider had “not ensured fire safety was robust” and taken nearly a year to commission a fire risk assessment.

Inspectors found the home, which can care for up 12 people with mental health conditions, didn’t protect residents from the risk of “avoidable harm”.

A report, published on Friday, said: “These risks included risk of falls from windows that lacked suitable restrictors; a risk of burns from radiators which were uncovered across the service; a risk of a water borne infection which had not been assessed; an open waste pipe with an open drain which could allow vermin to enter in the dining room; risk of infection or injury from rusty radiators, some of which were crumbling.”

It went on to say some of the new building work looked unsafe or unsuitable and that blinds in en-suite bathrooms were black with dirt and mould.

Inspectors also reported some areas of the home were affected by damp and that there was a large crack along the floor by the staircase.

Inspectors added that the garden was overgrown with piles of rubbish, including old windows and a bath which were trip hazards.

The inspectors said staff were “kind and caring” but one resident told them there was not much for residents to do apart from sleep. They wanted to be taken out into the community more often.

Ms Shumoogam hit back at the report and said the business wants to appeal the rating.

She said: “We don’t agree with the decision and we have made a complaint to the CQC. This is a new building, all the work has been done. We have just renovated so there is a bit of snagging to be done.

“I have been doing care for 35 years in mental health – me and my staff don’t deserve to be subjected to this. Most of the work was to do with the environment not with the care we provide.”

The care home will remain under review by the CQC and be re-inspected within the next six months. If improvements have not been made, it could be told to close down.

Pictured top: Care home, Rosenmanor Limited in Thornton Heath (Picture: Google Street View)