Watchdog says care service left patients at risk
A COUNCIL service which helps people to live independently has been found to leave its patients at risk of harm in a critical report.
Stockport Council’s Reablement and Community Home Support (REaCH) team provides short-term assistance for those who have been in hospital or care and want to regain the confidence and skills needed to live on their own again.
But health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the service - run by a team of council and NHS professionals ‘requires improvement’ following a recent inspection.
While the CQC report notes that REaCH is both effective, caring and responsive - as well as being highly regarded by service users shortcomings on safety and leadership meant it had breached regulations.
It found that, while there was no evidence of anyone being hurt, people had been placed at the risk of harm from the ‘unsafe administration and management of medicines.’
The report adds: “We reviewed medication administration records (MARs) and found the required recordings were not always completed and found concerns that people were not receiving their medicines as prescribed.
It also found that one person’s file did not include a body map showing where a drug pain patch had been placed - despite the fact it must be rotated and not put in the same area for a three-week period.
Audits had been carried out internally, but had failed to identify the shortcomings the inspector picked up on.
The CQC also raised concerns that the service had not always assessed risks to people’s health and wellbeing.
The inspector’s report notes the service had a ‘generic hazard assessment in place’ but people did not have one tailored to their individual needs - despite care records indicating they were at risk of harm from specific conditions.
The registered manager, however, told the CQC they would ensure all those currently being supported by REaCH would be assessed for any individual risks.
Of the five categories the service was assessed on, its caringness, effectiveness and responsiveness were all rated ‘good’ - while safety and leadership were marked as ‘required improvement.’
Mark Fitton, director of adult social care at Stockport council, said: “The council and adult social care would like to thank the CQC for rating many of the services provided by REaCH as good. We acknowledge that the overall judgement of ‘Requires Improvement’ was marginal and we will work tirelessly with the CQC to ensure all areas of the service reach a good standard. The council’s Adult Social Care is being redesigned to ensure residents are at the heart of our services and we look forward to working with the CQC to ensure all elements of our REaCH service are provided to a high standard.”