Kirklees care company ‘inadequate’

UNDERSTAFFING and unrealistic targets at a company which provides home care in Huddersfield have been putting vulnerable patients at risk.

An investigation of Sevacare Kirklees, by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), found that staff were too busy and too tired to provide adequate care for the company’s 163 patients.

The government health watchdog rated the service ‘inadequate’ – the lowest rating – overall, following an inspection in October.

It was rated ‘inadequate’ in the CQC’s safety, responsive and management categories and given the amber ‘requires improvement’ rating for its effectiveness and compassion towards patients.

The CQC found carers were regularly late for their appointments which they often had to cut short due to ‘unrealistic time frames.’

The report said: “We found serious issues with the allocation of care tasks that left people with late and shortened calls, staff had no time to carry out their duties effectively and there was a high risk of the likelihood of errors as staff were tired and under pressure to complete tasks in unrealistic time frames.”

It added: “Staffing numbers were inadequate to meet the demands of the service and some staff were working particularly long shifts, with no allocated travel time between calls and, in most cases, having to pick up shifts for colleagues who were off sick.”

The CQC report was highly critical of the service’s management. The report, published this week, said: “There was a lack of effective leadership, scrutiny and ownership of the service which meant people did not always receive the care they were entitled to.” The report noted a lack of effective monitoring of visits, leaving it up to patients and staff to report problems. It said: “This meant some people who were not in a position to request help were potentially left vulnerable.” CQC inspectors reported that carers received infrequent training. It said: “Staff had received an induction and supervision, although only at sixmonthly intervals. “Training records also indicated all staff had up-to-date training, although this was not reflected in conversations with staff.” The report said that most carers were pleasant to their patients but they were rushed and dignity issues – such as choosing the sex of a carer – was not always respected. It said: “This was mostly attributed to staff rushing their tasks due to a pressured rota and not completing tasks in line with requirements.” Wolverhampton-based Sevacare has an office in Dewsbury. It provides home assistance for patients in Huddersfield and North Kirklees. The firm is yet to respond to the Examiner’s request for a comment.

We found serious issues with the allocation of care tasks that left people with late and shortened calls