Lack of Proper Policies and Procedures Leads to Home Care Service Being Rated Inadequate by CQC

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told a Wakefield care service, Auscare Professional Service Limited that they must make improvements to protect the safety and welfare of people they care for.

Auscare Professional Service Limited provides care and support to people living in their own homes in the Sheffield area.

At the time of the CQC inspection visit the registered manager told inspectors the service was providing personal care to 11 people.  However, the inspectors discovered since the inspection that this number was incorrect and it was 20 people.

Staff recruitment procedures were not safe and there was no recorded evidence of staff receiving appropriate induction, training or support. 

Staff were not aware of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act and staff completing capacity assessments had not been trained to do so and were not aware of the principles of the assessment.

In total inspectors found seven breaches of regulation in relation to:

• person-centred care,
• consent, 
• safe care and treatment,
• managing complaints,
• good governance, 
• staffing and fit and proper persons employed.

Inspectors also found that complaints were not recorded or responded to.

Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North, said “There were a number of issues from this inspection that I had concerns about and of most concern was that calls were not always made in accordance with the planned times; inspectors found some calls recorded for as little as three minutes. It is difficult to assess what could feasibly be delivered in such a short time period.

“Inspectors also found that there was no evidence of person-centred care - care plans were insufficient to provide staff with the information they needed to support people and they found the plans were not always up to date.

“The service was not well-led. The registered manager demonstrated a lack of awareness of their responsibilities in their dual role as registered provider and manager. Inspectors did not see any record of 'spot checks' having been made by management to observe staff in their work and staff told us there was no system in place for them.

“To ensure this service remains safe we are currently considering our options in line with our enforcement policy and will report on this further when concluded.”