Vulnerable left without food in a litany of care failings

VULNERABLE old people in Torbay were left in wet beds without food and drink in their own homes due to serious failings and “unsafe” practices from the company trusted with their care.

Some were left without vital medicines for diabetes and heart conditions, and without adequate pain control. Almost 100 visits to people in their homes were missed in one week in September, which placed people “at risk of harm”.

The company, Mears Care Torbay and Devon, has been rated inadequate in crucial areas in a damning report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It has been placed in special measures and must make immediate improvements or face being shut down.

Debbie Ivanova , CQC na- tional chief inspector of adult social care, said she was dismayed. “People in their care were left in a position which meant they missed out on the most basic of human necessities such as food, hydration and when needed medication,” she said. “This is unacceptable.”

The Kingsteignton-based company provides care and support to people in Torbay and South Devon who want to live independently in their own homes. It specialises in caring for the over-65s and people with dementia, learning and physical disabilities, mental health conditions and sensory impairments.

In September 2018, the service took over the care visits of Saffron Care – also rated inadequate – when that closed down. Mears says there was not enough time between then and the most recent inspection to make the changes needed.

In hindsight, it says, it could have done more to deal with the shortage of staff resulting from taking on Saffron’s workload.

The CQC says it received “information of concern” from relatives and a member of staff that a significant number of people were not receiving care visits as planned.

Not enough staff were available at all times to deliver planned care. A significant number of staff did not transfer from Saffron to Mears, and inspectors said there was no “robust” contingency plan in place. Inspectors said people were being left for long periods of time without their basic care needs being met. Phone calls to Mears went unanswered, leaving people “angry, frustrated and extremely anxious”.

Staff, however, were passionate about their work and knew changes needed to be made.

Staff told inspectors they did not feel listened to and when they had raised concerns these were not taken seriously.

Ms Ivanova said: “We have taken enforcement action and I expect improvements to be implemented with immediate effect. If no improvements are found at our next inspection we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures. This will lead to varying the terms of their registration or cancelling their registration.”

Dr Kevin Dixon, chairman of Healthwatch Torbay, added: “The CQC report is deeply concerning and reflects the intelligence we have received from many Mears clients, family, carers and care staff concerned with unsafe practices, understaffing and poor communication and organisation of the Mears office. We are disappointed that these client concerns remained after three years of escalating such issues to the relevant organisations.”

Alan Long, executive director of Mears, said: “Mears is one of the largest providers of domiciliary care and we pride ourselves on our CQC ratings. We apologise to those service users who have seen poor service as a result of these significant difficulties. This issue is symptomatic of a wider crisis in how care is delivered in this country. We urge the Government to bring forward the social care green paper to establish a system of funding which allows for proper staffing, planning and care for those who need it.”

Kevin Dixon