Woman banned from seeing her mother for 'anti-social' behaviour hits out at Banbury care home - health regulator says it did not 'approve' the ban

The national care homes regulator says it did not find the banning of a Banbury woman from her mother’s care home as ‘appropriate and fair’.

Anchor – owner of The Ridings, Grimsbury – told the Banbury Guardian the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had found its month-long ban of Elizabeth Firn ‘appropriate and fair’ after an investigation.

But the CQC told the Banbury Guardian it had not approved a ban; it knew about the issue but said it was not its job to intervene.

Ms Firn’s 93-year-old mother, who we are not naming, went to the Grimsbury care home in June following a hospital stay after a bad fall.

Ms Firn, her mother’s carer, complained to manager Anna Jakes after a pre-booked lunch outing had to be abandoned because her mother had not been prepared and her personalised wheelchair had gone missing.

Other issues about care at the home included her mother’s ‘fall mat’ not being positioned in the right place to prevent another accident.

Ms Firn said she remained polite throughout the conversation but Mrs Jakes took exception to her complaints and barred her from entering the home for a month.

During the ban – where Ms Firn could only see her mother outside – she fell one night, breaking her leg. She is recovering in the Horton. Ms Firn said she believes her mother’s buzzer had not been answered and she was only found when she screamed.

This week Ms Firn said: “I was not abusive to anyone even though I was not happy because mother was not ready in her wheelchair for me to take her to lunch. Anna Jakes was rude, hostile and aggressive, pointing her finger at me, ordering me to sit there. I felt like a dog.

"There was no decency, diplomacy or dignity shown; no compassion or understanding. I asked for a proper, official meeting with a social worker but was refused.”

Ms Firn said she was falsely accused by the Banbury care home of being abusive to staff, ‘f-ing and blinding’.

"The impact this has caused mother and I so much anxiety, stress and tears and has completely interrupted and stolen 30 days of our life.”

In an amended statement, Maria Bamford, Anchor director of care services south, said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our residents and colleagues is our top priority. Visits by loved ones are welcome, supported and encouraged as we understand how it can boost wellbeing. We also have a duty of care for all of our residents and colleagues and have a robust anti-social behaviour policy in place to ensure this.

“If a person visiting a care home breaches the anti-social behaviour policy, alternative measures are put in place. In this specific and isolated incident, due to the family member breaking this policy, safeguarding procedures were implemented. We conducted a thorough investigation and found that the measures, including prohibiting access to the home by this particular family member, are appropriate and fair. Separate concerns were raised by the family member with our regulator, the Care Quality Commission, who carried out inquiries and closed the matter.

“We are committed to working closely with the resident involved to ensure her care needs are met.”

The CQC guidance on visitor rights at care homes says: “Staff must not threaten to restrict or ban any visitors, or ask them to leave if they make a complaint. If a provider misleads, behaves aggressively, or acts unfairly towards someone using a service or their visitors, they are likely to breach consumer law.”

Mrs Firn said: “The ban prevented me helping my mother with her care needs. I couldn't take flowers, give mother a cuddle, watch TV or settle her to bed.

"I had to see mother outside in her wheelchair. I asked if I could go into mother's room once because it was raining and cold. I was refused because of the ‘visiting restrictions’. Another time we were forced to go into the hot sun which was not recommended because of mother’s skin cancer and heart failure.

"Anna Jakes never put anything in writing to explain why she banned me, never suggested a proper meeting monitored professionally by a social worker. No fair procedures were implemented.”

Mrs Firn said she had been taken in through a back door for GP visits which she described as ‘hypocritical’.

"Mother said she was in her room for long periods on her own, the alarm bell taking ages to be answered. Mum mentioned times she did not have any water.

“She was told to ‘shut up and zip it’ and ‘you’re just a nuisance’ and ‘we'll be glad when you leave’.

“Mum told me of times her walker was not by her and she was scared as could not do anything without it."

Mrs Firn said she once found her mother’s spectacles shut away in a sluice room. Her mother was accused of rolling her ‘fall mat’ up and putting it under her bed which she was not capable of doing. She said her mother would never return to The Ridings.

A November 2022 CQC inspection downgraded The Ridings to ‘requires improvement’, saying the service was not always safe, effective, responsive or well led.

See Banbury Guardian report here.