A Liverpool care home has been placed into special measures after inspectors discovered mice living in residents' mattresses and exposed electrical wiring posing an electrocution risk. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Rodney House in the city centre in June and July, finding widespread failures in leadership and unsafe, unhygienic conditions. All 48 residents have since been moved to alternative accommodation following urgent action against the home, run by EBS Services Limited.
Inspectors reported multiple hazards, including holes in ceilings, trailing wires, and extensive damage from cigarette burns due to smoking in communal areas and bedrooms. The CQC's director of operations in the north, Karen Knapton, stated: "People were living in extremely unhygienic and unsafe conditions... exposed electrical wiring which placed people at risk of electrocution."
One resident informed inspectors that mice were living in their mattress, showing evidence of the infestation. The report noted: "We observed new equipment being fitted to address the flies however, staff had not removed old sticky fly catchers, which were covered in dead flies from people’s bedrooms." The mattress was replaced immediately after the discovery.
The inspection also revealed dirty bedding, stained furniture, malodorous bedrooms, and broken fixtures. Some residents lacked bin facilities and working blinds, with limited ventilation due to poor window conditions. The home required significant refurbishment.
Eight breaches of legal regulations were identified, and the CQC imposed urgent conditions preventing new admissions without prior consent. Ms Knapton added: "No-one should have to live in these shocking, undignified conditions." Residents reported waiting up to 90 minutes for staff to respond to call bells, and one person sat in their bedroom with a non-functional remote control, declining to notify staff.
