Care service blasted by health watchdog

A CARE provider has been branded a ‘shambles’ and told it has ‘gone to the dogs’ by its users, according to a recent report by a health watchdog.

Disabled people who ‘could not cope on their own’ struggled to get hold of the service and said “it’s not fair” in the report.

A review into the service provided by Community Careline Oldham a Rochdale-based care agency providing home care to 41 people across the borough, has seen its rating drop from ‘Good’ to ‘Inadequate.’ It will remain under review and will be re-inspected within the next six months.

An inspection was carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in September after receiving concerns in relation to the management of the service and its staffing levels. The report noted that the changes in the service had coincided with the departure of its previous manager and several members of staff.

Users told inspectors that communication at the service was poor and the on-call system was ‘not fit for purpose’ and that their families often had to intervene to provide care.

People told inspectors: “Community Careline has gone to the dogs,” and “It’s a shambles. They don’t let you know. When I tell them it’s like talking to a sponge.”

The report highlighted the concerns of users, who said: “It’s not good. They come when they want. I have had two missed visits. Sometimes they come at 10pm at night.” Another added: “It’s not fair, but I’m very disabled and can’t cope on my own. If you ring Care Line office or on call they never answer the phone.” The local authority had to step in and transfer some people’s care to other providers in an emergency situation.

Rotas inspected were ‘chaotic’with nobody checking that home visits had been covered. Care staff also told an inspector that they felt ‘undervalued,’ ‘stressed’ and ‘pressured to work long hours.’

‘Exhausted’ staff members also told health chiefs: “Staff end up feeling guilty. We work 12 days on, two days off and then get asked to work our weekend off ”.

A spokesperson for Community Careline said: “Since the CQC inspection was completed, we have prioritised the safety and wellbeing of both our clients and our carers and have made significant changes to ensure that an improved level of service can be delivered, consistently, moving forward.”

Community Careline has gone to the dogs.. It’s a shambles Patients’ comments to watchdog CQC