29 November 2011
The Care Quality Commission has issued a formal warning to Polsloe Community Care that it must make improvements to standards of its care services.
The warning notices follow an unannounced visit by inspectors in October to the agency in Redruth in Cornwall to follow up requirements made in a previous review of compliance. In February CQC reported concerns about timekeeping by staff who provide care in people’s homes.
On the latest inspection, CQC found that the improvements had not been made and that Polsloe Community Care was still failing to meet regulations relating to staffing and staff training.
Inspectors spoke to people who use the service, inspected employee files, and spoke with the manager and owner of the service.
It was clear that staff were continuing to arrive up to two hours late for care appointments, and staff were being provided with insufficient and poor quality training which prevented them from safely carrying out their duties. A number of staff had not received training which is required by law.
Ian Biggs, regional director of CQC in the South West region said:
"The law says that these are the standards that everyone should be able to expect. Providers have a duty to ensure they are compliant.
“Care agencies provide a vital service to help people get on with their daily lives. But if they can’t be relied on to turn up as planned - it can be very worrying, particularly for people who depend on their care worker and may have no one else to call on.
“This warning sends a clear and public message that Polsloe Community Care needs to address this issue or face serious consequences.
“Our inspectors will return to in the near future and if we find that the agency is not making the required progress we won’t hesitate to use our legal powers on behalf of the people who use this service."
Ends
For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.
Notes to editors
CQC will publish further details of the inspectors’ findings on its website at a later date.
CQC has issued warning notices requiring action to meet:
• Regulation 22 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010: Staffing
• Regulation 23 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010: Staff training
If the required improvements are not made, CQC has a range of enforcement powers which include restricting the services that a provider can offer, or, in the most serious cases, suspending or cancelling a service. CQC can also issue financial penalty notices and cautions or prosecute the provider for failing to meet essential standards. Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.
About the CQC: Snippet for press releases
About the Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.
We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.
We monitor, inspect and regulate services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and we publish what we find to help people choose care.
Read the reports
Read the reports from our checks on standards at Polsloe Community Care.