Home care service rated 'inadequate' - people 'not always protected from potential abuse'

A newly-published report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which inspected A & A Services West Midlands last month, said people were not always protected from potential abuse and there was a lack of oversight in the service that left people at risk of potential harm.

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the care people received and the records that were in place, how staff were recruited and the culture of the service.

The CQC, which gave services an overall rating of 'inadequate', said its services will be kept under close review to ensure improvements are made.

The report said: "People were not always protected from potential abuse as incidents of potential abuse had not always been recognised and procedures were not always followed.

"When incidents had been recorded, these were not always appropriately investigated or reported.

"There were no systems in place to monitor the care people received, this included monitoring care records, medicines and call times.

"There was a lack of oversight in the service that left people at risk of potential harm and information was therefore not sought to make improvements where needed. Lessons were not consistently being learnt."

Inspectors also noted there were no systems in place to ensure staff had the skills and training to support people.

The report continued: "The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the care people received and the records that were in place, how staff were recruited and the culture of the service.

"A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

"We found no evidence during this inspection that people were harmed from the concerns we identified.

"However there was an increased risk of harm as people were not always protected from potential abuse.

"We have identified breaches in relation to how complaints were dealt with, how staff were recruited and how people were protected from potential abuse. We also found concerns with how the service was governed and the systems in place to monitor the care people received.

"The overall rating for this service is 'inadequate' and the service is therefore in 'special measures'. This means we will keep the service under review and, if we do not propose to cancel the provider's registration, we will re-inspect within six months to check for significant improvements.

"If the provider has not made enough improvement within this timeframe and there is still a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall rating, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures.

"This will mean we will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service.

"This will usually lead to cancellation of their registration or to varying the conditions the registration."

Inspectors also said support with meals was offered when needed and staff were kind and caring towards people and they felt safe.

A & A Services West Midlands provides personal care to people, inducing older people living in their own homes.

A & A Services West Midlands has been contacted for comment.