- Homecare service
Courtyard Mews
Report from 2 April 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
We completed the assessment between 11 April to 14 May 2024. We found seven breaches of the legal regulations in the areas of Safe Care and Treatment, Safeguarding, Dignity and Respect, Good Governance, Staffing, Person Centred Care and Notification of Incidents. We found serious concerns around the assessment and management of risk to people’s health conditions. The registered manager and staff did not assess risks to people's health conditions and safety or mitigate them where identified. Information regarding people’s support needs and health conditions was not always used to produce complete and thorough care planning, and to provide appropriate guidance to staff. The provider did not ensure that people were protected from abuse. The provider did not have robust procedures and processes in place to that make sure that people were protected. Staff were not always aware of their responsibilities to prevent, identify and report potential abuse when providing care. Staff training was inadequate. Staff were not provided with the specialist training needed to understand and respond to many of the health conditions people lived with. This put people at risk. People’s environments were not properly assessed to ensure that any identified risks were mitigated. Infection control processes and practices were often poor. We found serious concerns regarding the leadership of the service. The was a failure to adequately assess the needs of the people they supported. Governance systems and audits were not effective in identifying or addressing areas for improvement. The registered manager was unaware of some of their regulatory responsibilities. In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/ or appeals have been concluded.
People's experience of this service
We spoke to seven people and one relative who were receiving care and support from the service. While some of the people we spoke to expressed that they were generally happy with their care, our assessment found care did not meet the expected standards. People were at risk as staff did not have the appropriate information, care plans and guidance to ensure that many risks and needs were met safely. This meant that people didn’t always receive safe care. While some people told us they felt safe in their homes when staff were providing care, we found that people were not protected by robust safeguarding practices. The registered manager did not understand their regulatory responsibilities, so people were not always assured that they were safeguarded adequately. One person said, “Frustrating overall. These are the worst of the worst.” Another person said, “In general its ok.” With regards to care calls, one person said, “They are in and out as soon as possible.” People expressed concerns around the continuity of carers within their support package with different carers supporting them at their homes. Feedback on carers completing all tasks and completing their full time was mixed. Some people we spoke to stated that carers were often too task focussed and did not stay the full time. People told us that there were often poor infection control practices from their carers. Some people were not clear on who the registered manager was. Many people could not recall receiving either a visit, or an assessment, from the leadership of the service.