Wolverhampton care agency put in special measures after 'inadequate' inspection

Clarity Homecare Wolverhampton has been rated as ‘inadequate’ and has been put in special measures inspection in September.

The care agency's operator, RGHarmony Care Limited, has had its operations suspended from September 30 to January 15, 2027, for "failing to meet the regulations in relation to the safe care and treatment of people, consent, staffing, and the governance at Clarity Homecare Wolverhampton."

During the inspection, four breaches of regulation related to safe care and treatment, safeguarding, staff training and overall management of the service were found.

This was CQC’s first inspection of the service since it was registered, the service supported 18 people.

Clarity Homecare Wolverhampton provides domiciliary care (care-at-home) and personal support services to help vulnerable adults and older people live independently in their own homes.

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Amanda Lyndon, CQC’s deputy director of adult social care in the west midlands, said: “During our inspection of Clarity Homecare Wolverhampton, we found a service where leaders didn’t fully understand the risks people faced in their own homes.

“The service had care plans and risk assessments that either hadn’t been kept up to date or didn’t exist, so staff were often working without the information they needed to keep people safe.

“We found this affected the care and support people received. Staff didn’t always manage medicines safely, and gaps in record keeping meant they couldn’t always show people were getting the right medicine at the right time.

“The home's records suggested one person received a patch meant to be changed weekly three times in a single week, and the systems in place hadn't picked this up. We also found care plans didn’t always properly reflect some people’s health conditions, which put them at risk of not getting the support they needed.

“However, people and their relatives told us staff were kind, caring, arrived on time and treated them with compassion. Staff also told us they felt well supported by the management team.

“Despite this, we found the service didn’t meet expected standards of care, including a lack of basic record keeping and understanding of the care it provided.

“We’ve told leaders at Clarity Homecare Wolverhampton where they must improve. We’ll continue to monitor the service closely to make sure people are kept safe while this happens.”

RG Harmony Care Ltd has shared the following statement to the Express & Star:

“RG Harmony Care Ltd acknowledges the recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection report, which resulted in an overall rating of inadequate and the subsequent suspension of the service.

“We recognise the seriousness of the findings and fully acknowledge the rating issued by CQC. We were unable to provide all the requested documentary evidence on the day of the inspection and whilst this contributed to concerns regarding our governance, record-keeping and ability to demonstrate compliance, we are not aware of any service users having come to harm as a result of the matters identified during the inspection. In fact, feedback from the people who received our services was positive and we understand that some individuals are keen to return to the service when it is permitted to resume.

“Since the inspection, the management team has undertaken additional training and refresher sessions to strengthen its understanding of regulatory requirements, management responsibilities and the standards expected by CQC.

“We have also developed a comprehensive action plan addressing the concerns identified, with clear responsibilities, measurable improvements and agreed completion dates. Progress is being closely monitored to ensure that each action is completed within the specified timescales and that improvements are embedded into everyday practice.

“Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of the people we support. We are committed to working openly and constructively with CQC throughout the suspension period and demonstrate that the necessary improvements are achieved whilst working towards CQC lifting the suspension when they are satisfied that the required improvements have been met.”