A care home manager in Ilkeston has been struck off after a regulator found a series of failings that put vulnerable residents at risk.
Carolyn Blore was in charge of Ashford Lodge Nursing Home on Gregory Street for nearly a decade before the home eventually closed.
An inspection by the Care Quality Commission in 2022 rated the home “inadequate”, raising concerns about standards of care.
The case was later referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which has now ruled that her fitness to practise is impaired and ordered that she be struck off.
A hearing was told that residents were subjected to restrictions and poor record-keeping, including:
- two residents having their movement restricted using gates without proper assessment
- inaccurate records, including one resident wrongly recorded as having dementia
- a failure to investigate incidents or make safeguarding referrals
The panel said these failings created a “clear risk of harm” to residents, many of whom were described as elderly and vulnerable.
It also found there was no evidence that key decisions — including restricting residents’ movement — had been properly assessed or justified.
While the panel acknowledged the pressures care homes were under during the Covid-19 pandemic, it concluded the failings were serious.
It noted that Ms Blore had previously had an unblemished record, but said there was a lack of insight into what had gone wrong.
She has now been removed from the nursing register.
What happened at Ashford Lodge before it closed
Ashford Lodge Nursing Home in Ilkeston had already been under scrutiny for more than a year before it closed its doors in March 2023.
The Gregory Street home, which provided care for elderly residents with complex needs, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission in January 2022.
Inspectors rated the home “inadequate” – the lowest possible rating – and warned that people were at risk of not receiving safe care.
Their findings highlighted a series of concerns about how the home was being run.
Care plans and risk assessments – essential for ensuring residents’ needs are understood and managed – were in some cases missing or incomplete. Inspectors also found that accidents and incidents were not always properly investigated, and safeguarding concerns were not consistently referred.
There were also concerns about how residents’ health was monitored.
In some cases, changes in people’s condition – including weight loss – were not always recognised or acted on promptly, increasing the risk of deterioration.
Infection control measures during the Covid-19 pandemic were also found to be lacking.
Inspectors said staff were not always using personal protective equipment (PPE) safely, which increased the risk of infection spreading within the home.
The condition of the building itself also raised concerns, with parts described as below expected standards and requiring maintenance.
Alongside this, inspectors pointed to weaknesses in leadership and oversight.
“The service was not well-led,” the report concluded.
Following the inspection, Ashford Lodge was placed into special measures, meaning it was subject to increased monitoring and required to make urgent improvements.
However, a follow-up inspection later in 2022 found that not enough progress had been made.
The home remained rated inadequate.
With ongoing concerns and declining occupancy, Ashford Lodge closed in March 2023.
The issues identified by inspectors form part of the wider context considered in the subsequent fitness-to-practise case brought by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
