CQC requires immediate improvement at a domiciliary care agency in Bishop Auckland, County Durham

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is taking action to protect the safety and welfare of people receiving care from Unique Home Care Limited in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

In a report published today, CQC inspectors identify the findings from an unannounced inspection of the domiciliary care agency which took place over eight days in April and May 2014. The inspection was carried out in response to information of concern.

Visiting inspectors reviewed a sample of care and treatment records and spoke with people using the service, their relatives, and members of staff. As a result they found that the agency was failing to meet all six national standards reviewed.

Inspectors’ concerns included:

• Care plans lacked sufficient detail to guide staff in order to meet people’s specific needs such as those requiring assistance with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) feeding tubes.
• Medicines that had been administered to people were not always recorded properly so it was not clear whether people were receiving their medicines as prescribed.
• Checks carried out on staff as part of the agencies recruitment procedures had not been fully completed for all staff before they started to visit people using the service.
• Inspectors found evidence of occasions when safeguarding concerns had been raised but staff had failed to follow the correct policies and procedures to investigate or address the concerns.
• The agency was failing to effectively monitor the quality of service being provided and incidents and errors were not analysed to identify trends and put actions in place to prevent reoccurrence.
• Personal care records for people using the service, staff records and other records relevant to the management of the service contained inaccuracies and could not always be located promptly when needed.

As a result of the inspection, CQC has issued four formal warnings to the agency requiring improvements in relation to care and welfare of people who use services, safeguarding of people who use services from abuse, requirements relating to workers, and assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision.

The agency must also take action to address shortfalls against the additional three standards that are not being met.

Debbie Westhead, CQC’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North said:

“The failings at Unique Home Care Limited are just not acceptable. We have told the provider very clearly where improvements must be made.

“We will inspect again in the near future and if we find the agency is not making progress we will consider the need for further regulatory action.

“In the meantime, we continue to monitor the agency very closely, liaising with local commissioners to ensure that people using the service receive the standards or care they are entitled to expect.”

Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.

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For further information please contact CQC Regional Communications Officer, Kirstin Hannaford on 0191 233 3629 or 07825947160. The CQC press office can be contacted on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.