CARE AT HOME IN CRISIS
Vulnerable residents at risk
South Lanarkshire Council’s Care at Home Service in Rutherglen and Cambuslang is so poor that vulnerable users are at risk from “unsafe” working practices, a shocking new report has found.
The alarming analysis from the Care Inspectorate – which was published yesterday (Monday) – highlights a catalogue of failings in the service – upon which 327 residents rely.
The service was rated as either “unsatisfactory” or “weak” across each of the reports three categories – the lowest grades available.
Home care services across Rutherglen and Cambuslang have been slammed in a shocking new report.
The Care Inspectorate’s damning document, released yesterday (Monday), rates the council-run service as either unsatisfactory or weak in every category – the two lowest grades possible.
It comes just four years after the area was rated as “very good” across the same categories.
Among the failings highlighted are care plans being considered “not fit for purpose”, “ill-informed” staff and “known risks going unrecorded and assessed”.
The report also found that there has been a failure to act on concerns that were first raised an astonishing six years ago.
Across Rutherglen and Cambuslang 327 people currently rely on the home care service, with that figure expected to rise in the coming years following the local authority’s revamping of the service across the area.
The report also criticises the service’s management and organisation – particularly in relation to planning – with some staff relying on hand-written notes to ensure that care for a person was actioned.
Other problems highlighted include the possibility that information could be easily lost, and a lack of action being taken on previous recommendations from the Care Inspectorate.
Councillors were informed of the report’s findings at a meeting earlier in December, although they had not been privy to the full report at that point.
An action plan, established after similar failings were found in Hamilton, will now be implemented in Rutherglen & Cambuslang.
Labelling the report “seriously worrying”, Rutherglen South councillor Robert Brown has called for a special meeting of the Council’s Social Work Committee.
He told the Reformer: “This is a seriously worrying report.
“It is clear that there have been growing concerns over some years but it is particularly striking that improvement requirements made by the Care Commission last year have not been delivered.
“When the unsatisfactory Hamilton area report came out in the autumn, I expressed astonishment that adverse Care Commission Reports did not come to the Social Work Committee as a matter of course.
“I got the committee to agree that this should happen in the future. Councillors need to know of problems like this at as early a stage as possible.
“I have now called for an urgent special meeting of the committee in the light of the major criticisms made by the Care Commission. We need to see an urgent and comprehensive action plan as soon as possible - indeed the Care Commission have demanded this.” Councillor Brown added: “The priority now is to sort the problems so that local people can again have confidence in the Home Care service.
“I have no doubt that many people are well served by the home care staff, often in difficult situations.
“But it is clear that major changes and improvements are needed urgently if home care is to do its job of supporting vulnerable elderly people properly.”
Commenting on the report, a spokesperson for South Lanarkshire Council said: “We have been working with the Care Inspectorate for some time on our plans to make improvements to the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Home Care service.
“While the Care Inspectorate’s report highlights a number of issues consistent with those identified within the Hamilton service, the Rutherglen and Cambuslang service is not subject to an Improvement Notice.
“However, an action plan for the Rutherglen and Cambuslang service is being prepared for the committee’s approval.
“This will proceed as a matter of urgency, with the fundamental aim being to ensure that all parts of the Care at Home service reach the same high standards set by the best-performing parts of our service across South Lanarkshire.
“All the feedback indicates that Home Care continues to provide a much-valued service, with high satisfaction levels being reported and no indication of any patterns of concern being expressed by service users or their families.”
Do you wish to voice dissatisfaction with the council’s Home Care Service?
If so, please address your concerns to jonathan.geddes@reachplc.com