Slough care agency placed in special measures

A care agency which supports people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities across Slough has been placed in special measures.

The Care Quality Commission inspected 61 Langley Road in November and found that people’s basic safety and wellbeing needs weren’t always being met.

The healthcare provider, run by Collaborative Care Solutions, had previously been rated good but CQC inspectors said standards have significantly dropped.

Debbie Ivanova, CQC’s director for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said: “When we inspected 61 Langley Road, we were incredibly disappointed that the standard of care had dropped significantly since our last inspection in January 2018.

“People’s basic safety and wellbeing needs weren’t always being met, and risks weren’t being effectively managed to keep people safe.”

At the time of the inspection, 61 Langley Road was supporting 27 people across seven supported living services in the borough.

A CQC report, released today (Friday), said care staff couldn’t make decisions and had to get the registered manager’s permission to carry out daily tasks.

This took away the sense of initiative which is sometimes needed in a care environment, the report said.

The report said an example of this was when one member of staff texted the registered manager asking if they could accompany someone to an accident and emergency department.

The registered manager responded ‘She must be joking lol’ – a response which was described by the CQC as 'inappropriate, oppressive and controlling’.

The report also found:

W There were restrictive work practices which weren’t proportionate to people who weren’t legally subject to control or restraint

W A person, who was not subject to any lawful restrictions or restraint, wanted to know if they could order a takeaway. The registered manager gave them permission but only on a once-a-week basis.

W A person’s care records documented they had reported to staff they were threatened by male strangers while out in the community. Staff reported the incident to the police but there was no record of a report made to the council’s safeguarding team.

W Medicines weren’t disposed of safely. A bag containing prescribed medicines belonging to a person who no longer used the service were found in an unlocked spare room.

W Records weren’t always accessible as legally required. The CQC said it had to delay its initial inspection as the registered manager didn’t provide access to records relating to safeguarding, accidents and incidents.

61 Langley Road is now in special measures and will be kept under review by the CQC with a re-inspection planned to check improvements have been made.

The Express contacted Collaborative Care Solutions for comment.