Home care is ‘inadequate’

But service provider confident improvements have been made

A HOME care provider based in Hayes has been placed in special measures after being rated Inadequate’.

United Home Care Limited carried out insufficient checks on new staff, failed to provide adequate training and did not manage medicines safely, inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found.

The provider, based in Doghurst Avenue, Harlington, was given the lowest possible rating by the watchdog for safety and leadership, though it was deemed to be ‘Good’ in the Caring and Responsive categories.

However, the owner said it had been going TJG1ST through a difficult period when inspectors visited, having had to let a number of staff go, and the service had since improved.

The family-run firm had only resumed operating after a 10-month break in October 2015, two months before it was visited by the CQC.

It was providing care for just four people in their homes at the time of the inspection.

The report, published on May 11, states: “We found breaches of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 which related to the registered person not following safe care recruitment procedures, no contingency plans in place to ensure there were staff available to always cover the home visits, poor records relating to the management of medicines, failing to carry out detailed risk assessments and guidance on people’s needs, not sufficiently supporting staff through providing an induction to the service and training for new staff.

“There was also a lack of quality assurance checks and audits and the registered manager was not aware of their duties in relation to the Mental Capacity Act neither had they identified the issues we found during this inspection.”

The service was last inspected in April 2013, when the CQC said it was found to be meeting all regulations.

Providers placed in special measures are given six months in which to make the required improvements.

If they fail to do so, they are at risk of enforcement action, which could lead to them being banned from operating.

Raj Chudasama, owner and manager of United Home Care Limited, said he believed the service had improved considerably since the time of the inspection.

“There was a problem when the CQC inspected us because we had to let a number of staff go as they’d been offering to work privately for our clients,” he said.

“When staff are leaving and you’re in a bit of a mess how can you expect a good inspection?

“Since then we have improved everything and we’re confident about the quality of service we now offer.”