Damning report for care provider
Employer of 950 placed in special measures after inspectors rate its service as ‘inadequate’
SHORTFALLS INCLUDED:
>> 10,000 MISSED MEDICINE DELIVERIES DUE TO UNSUITABLE IT SYSTEMS, RESULTING IN SOME PATIENTS GOING TO HOSPITAL
>> FAILURE TO ALWAYS INVESTIGATE SAFETY BREACHES
>> POOR RECORD KEEPING
>> CULTURE OF FEAR IF CLIENTS OR STAFF COMPLAINED –
A LARGE Burton healthcare provider employing hundreds of people in town has been placed in special measures by the government health watchdog.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has paid a visit to Healthcare at Home, based in Station Street, and rated the service “inadequate”.
Following an unannounced inspection in November and December, it was found that people using the service had been harmed.
Inspectors found several shortfalls in the service, including unsuitable IT systems, which led to almost 10,000 missed medicine deliveries from October to December 2020. This meant some patients experienced avoidable harm and needed hospital treatment.
There was also a failure to always investigate safety breaches and assess risk, poor record-keeping – including regarding people’s allergies.
Inspectors also found there was a culture where patients, their families and staff “were not empowered” to raise concerns.
Some patients reported fearing their medicine deliveries would be cancelled if they complained – and some staff reported fear of dismissal if they raised concerns or contacted the CQC. Healthcare at Home, which employs 950 people, provides care and treatment to people with chronic conditions – including Crohn’s disease, haemophilia and HIV – in their own homes.
Working with NHS trusts and private providers across the country, at the time of the inspection, it delivered around 110,000 prescriptions a month.
The inspection was carried out after the CQC received reports that, as a result of problems with a new computer system, people were not receiving their medicines on time or were able to contact the firm to raise concerns.
However, Healthcare at Home chief executive Darryn Gibson said the IT issue was quickly dealt with and levels of service had returned to normal. He is now “looking forward to a rapid re-inspection” by the CQC.
The report states: “This inspection was carried out in response to concerns raised in relation to patients not receiving their prescribed medicines on time and being unable to contact the provider. We did not look at all the key lines of enquiry during this inspection.
“However, the information we gathered and the seriousness of the concerns and clear impact on patients provided enough information to make a judgment tions on their registration. service disruption”. about the quality of care “The effect of using Section 31 However, inspectors identified and to re-rate the pro- powers is serious and immediate. some areas of good practice, including vider. The provider was told to submit an staff trained in key skills who “During this action plan within four days that received manager-led appraisals. inspection, due to described how it was addressing the There were also instances where the seriousness of concerns. care and treatment were delivered in the concerns, we “On receipt of the action plan we line with best practice, including suspended undertook a review and were not when nurses administered chemotherapy Healthcare at assured by the actions the provider and patients received regular Home’s rating. described and therefore served a health assessments and practical “We served the Notice of Decision to urgently support to lead healthier lives. provider with a letter of impose conditions on the provider There were good infection control intent under Section 31 of registration.” practices, including for Covid-19, the Health and Social Care Act The CQC has also highlighted and staff knowledge of the service’s 2008, to warn them of possible “insufficient governance, oversight vision and values, as well as strong urgent enforcement action. and assurance systems to manage teamwork and a focus on patient “We told the provider that we were quality, performance and patient need and improvement. considering whether to use our safety and a failure to provide statutory Following the inspection, Healthcare powers to urgently impose condi- notifications to CQC following a at Home developed an action plan for improvement. It also has plans to re-brand and implement a new patient app to CQC.
The service’s bosses complied with a condition, imposed following the inspection, to provide regular performance reports to CQC. These reports indicated the performance of the service has improved since the inspection.
Services placed in special measures are inspected again within six months and, if insufficient improvements have been made such that there remains a rating of inadequate overall – or for any key indicator – the CQC will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating.
Mr Gibson said: “Healthcare at Home’s top priority has always been delivering the best possible care and service for patients and we therefore deeply regret the difficulties some patients faced as a result of problems with our new computer system last October.
“We took swift action to deal with the issue and within a short time patient service had returned to normal.
“We look forward to a rapid reinspection by the Care Quality Commission to confirm our patients are receiving a high-quality service. Our new computer system is already delivering an even better service to patients.”
Due the seriousness of the concerns, we suspended Healthcare at Home’s rating.
CQC report