Our 30 care providers failing to meet national standards

Of 14 home care providers for West Dorset which didn’t meet all five CQC standards, over half – eight – failed to pass more than one standard.

The Care Quality Commission publishes its inspection reports online. Home care providers look after people who live independently in their own homes but require some help.

The latest findings follow a Dorset Echo investigation into care homes in the county revealed shortcomings in the provision of care in the county.

CQC inspections of home care providers exposed a number of failings, the majority of which involved record-keeping, medication dosage and safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse.

One of the home care providers which didn’t meet all five standards was the Weymouth branch of Care at Home, based at Altogether Care, which provides care to approximately 180 people in Weymouth and surrounding areas.

Following a March 2014 check, CQC inspectors said: “People who used the service were not protected from the risk of abuse, because staff did not understand their responsibilities regarding safeguarding.

“We were told that a care worker had reported their concerns about an allegation of abuse to a supervisory member of staff. A member of staff told us that they had not reported this allegation of abuse to the safeguarding authority because of the person’s mental health condition.

“We asked the registered manager about this decision and they also said that they would not have reported the allegation of abuse.”

Inspectors also noted the company failed to keep accurate records about incidents affecting the health and welfare of care recipients.

The report said: “We saw that not all incidents that were in the on-call book or people’s care records had been logged.

“For example, we saw in a person`s care notes that they had been found on the floor by the care worker on three separate occasions in a three-week period. The care worker had called an ambulance on one occasion. None of these had been recorded.”

During a February 2014 inspection carried out at Dorchester-based All About Care, inspectors noted there was no formal system to assess mental capacity or record consent to care.

The report said ‘there was no evidence that mental capacity had been assessed in line with the key principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005’ and inspectors recorded examples of the company consulting individuals about their care when no assessment of mental capacity had been recorded.

They also documented notes on an individual’s care record saying they had to be ‘persuaded’ into agreeing to care and instances of All About Care calling care recipients for phone interviews when, according to relatives, the individuals would not be able to ‘follow such a phone call’ because they were suffering from dementia.

Apex Companions in Dorchester is another care provider that failed to meet the CQC’s requirements.

Inspectors noted the company had improved since the CQC formally ordered them to take action in a March 2013 report after they found ‘the provider was not clear about the level of support people needed with their medication’, but in a visit in February and March 2014 they found medicines were not always signed for, and there were gaps and inaccuracies in medicine administration records, meaning care recipients would not always get the correct dose of medicine.

In a February 2014 inspection of Mulberry Court and Scope Inclusion Dorset, based in Gillingham, inspectors said: “During our visit we viewed records that there had been an incident in 2013 that was notifiable to the Care Quality Commission that had not been reported to the CQC. We saw that the service had taken appropriate steps to manage the risk of the incident being repeated.

“However, the service had not informed the CQC without delay of the incident.”

Sarah Marshall, Scope’s area manager, said: “Last year, a minor incident took place at our service Mulberry Court. We followed our standard internal safeguarding process, but we were later informed that the incident should have been reported to the CQC. We have since reviewed our reporting process, to make sure that all relevant safeguarding incidents are correctly reported.”

A spokesman for Altogether Care said: “Altogether Care was grateful to CQC for pointing out any shortfalls and also areas of good practice on what has always been a fully compliant office. “We immediately implemen-ted any changes necessary to ensure the branch was meeting the high standards Altogether Care expects from all their ser-vices, and we are currently awaiting re-inspection by CQC.”

The Dorset Echo contacted All About Care and Apex Companions but representatives could not be reached for comment.

A spokesman for the CQC said it is possible some of the care providers have improved since their last inspection, or recent inspections may have been carried out but the results have not yet been uploaded onto the CQC website.

They moved to reassure members of the public that all of the care providers who have not met every standard will be guaranteed a follow-up inspection to ensure they implement required improvements.

Councillor says ‘poor’ services must be improved

CLLR Francis Drake, pictured right, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s spokesman for health, wellbeing and safeguarding vulnerable adults, said: “If people are being paid to look after older people they should look after them properly.

“The services that fall below the CQC’s standards should improve without a shadow of a doubt. We are going to be the pensioners of tomorrow and if we were having care we would expect it to be properly provided. I encourage care workers to whistleblow on their employers if mistakes are not being reported.”

The Care Quality Commission, which checks whether hospitals, care homes, GPs, dentists and services in the home are meeting national standards, publishes its reports and findings online so that people can make choices about the care they receive.

It arranges unannounced inspections of services that provide care and ask people about their experiences of receiving care. During their inspections, they talk to care staff, check that the right systems and processes are in place, and look for standards being met.

There will be follow-ups

THE head of the CQC’s social care inspectors in the South has promised his inspectors will follow up every care agency which has been found to be failing to meet national standards.

Adrian Hughes, deputy chief inspector of adult social care said: “These agencies provide a vital service to people in their own homes.

But if they can’t be relied on to give a good service - it can be very worrying, particularly for people who depend on their care worker and may have no one else to call on. People have a right to expect good quality, safe and effective care. Our inspections show that many providers and in Dorset do provide good care – but too many don’t, and they can’t carry on like that. Our new ratings regime will start in October and will highlight inadequate services. We need to make sure that poor services improve - and if they do not, they will have to face the consequences."

Dorset home care providers which failed one or more CQC standard

All About Care (South West) Limited – Latest inspection March 20 2014 Treating people with respect and involving them in their care – Improvements required; Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Apex Companions (Apex Care) Dorchester – Latest inspection April 2 2014 Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Dorset Learning Disability Service – Latest inspection October 9 2013 Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Care at Home (Altogether Care) Weymouth – Latest inspection March 15 2014 Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs – Improvements required; Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Care at Home (Altogether Care) Wareham – Latest inspection March 5 2014 Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs – Improvements required; Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

24 Hour Care Services Limited Sturminster Marshall – Latest inspection July 16 2013 Staffing – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Care at Home (Altogether Care) Sturminster Newton – Latest inspection January 1 2014 Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Staffing – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Mulberry Court and Scope Inclusion Dorset – Latest inspection March 19 2014 Quality and suitability of management - Improvements required.

Abicare Services Limited Dorset – Latest inspection September 13 2013 Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs – Improvements required; Staffing – Improvements required.

The Right Hand Swanage – Latest inspection January 11 2014 Quality and suitability of management - Improvements required.

Essential Nursing and Care Dorchester – Latest inspection April 8 2014 Treating people with respect and involving them in their care – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Agincare UK Weymouth – Latest inspection February 12 2014 Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Agincare UK Bridport – Latest inspection January 15 2014 Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Agincare UK Christchurch – Latest inspection September 13 2013 Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required Daley Home Care Bridport – Latest inspection April 15 2014 Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Caremark New Forest (Christchurch) – Latest inspection March 19 2014 Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Nightingales Home Care Service Swanage – Latest inspection February 28 2014 Staffing – Improvements required.

Allied Healthcare Bournemouth – Latest inspection July 1 2014 Treating people with respect and involving them in their care – Enforcement action taken; Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs – Enforcement action taken; Quality and suitability of management – Enforcement action taken; Staffing – Improvements required.

Agape Care Solutions Poole – Latest inspection November 8 2013 Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs – Improvements required; Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Candlelight Homecare Services Wimborne – Latest inspection April 18 2014 Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Staffing – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Agincare UK Ferndown – Latest inspection July 1 2014 Treating people with respect and involving them in their care – Improvements required.

HMR Medical and Nursing Service Broadstone – Latest inspection February 12 2014 Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs – Improvements required; Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

AA-I-Care Portland – Latest inspection October 30 2014 Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Willow Tree Bournemouth – Latest inspection September 3 2013 Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Staff 2000 Domiciliary Care Service Bournemouth – Latest inspection September 3 2013 Staffing – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Shapes Domiciliary Care Service (Diverse Abilities Plus) Poole – Latest inspection February 13 2014 Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

Home Care Angels Poole – Latest inspection March 5 2014 Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs – Improvements required; Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.

MiHomecare Poole – Latest inspection November 22 2013 Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs – Improvements required.

Aspect Domiciliary Care Bournemouth – Latest inspection December 20 2013 Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm – Improvements required; Staffing – Improvements required; Quality and suitability of management – Improvements required.