Home care service failings left vulnerable people 'at risk of harm'

A Slough home care service has been rated Inadequate and is being placed in special measures after breaching several regulations surrounding consent, safe care and treatment.

Care Staff Services Ltd provides care to people in their own homes, including older people, people with dementia, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, sensory impairments and substance misuse problems.

It is based in the Progress Business Centre in Whittle Parkway, Slough, near Burnham.

Care Staff Services was rated Requires Improvement when it was based at Dorney House in 2018 and went up to Good in 2019 – the most recent inspection before this one.

It was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June and the result released last week.

This inspection was prompted due to concerns the watchdog received about the management of the service.

Inspectors found the provider to be in breach of six legal regulations relating to the need for consent, safe care and treatment, safeguarding, governance, staffing and recruitment.

Shortfalls left people who use the service at risk of harm. The provider did not identify all the risks – and when they did, management of these risks was ‘poor’.

The provider did not demonstrate they followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act code of practice – the law that protects people who may struggle to make certain decisions for themselves.

This involves checking someone has the capacity to make decisions about their care; supporting them to make their own decisions wherever possible; and only making decisions on their behalf if essential, avoiding restricting their freedom more than needed.

Care Staff Services ‘failed to ensure people’s rights were always promoted and protected,’ wrote the CQC.

Care plans ‘lacked detailed information’ which meant there was a risk people may not be supported according to their needs.

The provider’s recruitment processes were ‘inadequate and not robust’ – unable to ensure that fit and proper staff were being employed.

“This meant people were at risk of being supported by unsuitable staff,” wrote the CQC.

The inspectors also looked at whether the provider could guarantee that people with learning disabilities and autism were getting the respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and access to the community that most people take for granted.

This service is being placed in special measures, meaning it will be kept under close monitoring and inspection and has to improve within a certain timeframe.

 If improvements are not made, the CQC can suspend or cancel their registration, effectively closing the service.

“The purpose of special measures is to ensure services providing inadequate care make significant improvements,” wrote the CQC.

As for people experiencing the service and their families, the watchdog said it received ‘mixed feedback’ about Care Staff Services.

There were mixed reports about the timing of care calls (both length and punctuality), staff competence and the lack of communication from the leadership team.

“People and relatives told us staff treated them with kindness,” wrote the CQC.

“However, whilst people we spoke with expressed they were generally happy with their care, our assessment found elements of care did not meet the expected standards.”

Known risks were not always adequately assessed or not addressed to ensure people were being supported safely and effectively.

Care Staff Services had not responded to a request for comment at the time of going to press.