The CQC downgraded the service’s overall performance, rating its effectiveness as inadequateA Wolverhampton domiciliary care agency for people with disabilities has been placed into special measures after inspectors found serious failings that left people at risk of unsafe care.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Geocare Services Limited as inadequate following an inspection completed in May, saying the provider had failed to make the improvements required after previous enforcement action.The agency, which provides personal care for 59 people living with dementia, physical disabilities and sensory impairments, has also become the subject of proposed regulatory action by the CQC. The provider has the right to appeal.The latest inspection followed a visit when Geocare Services Limited received three warning notices for breaches of regulations relating to safe care, consent, complaints handling and leadership. Inspectors found the service remained in breach of regulations covering safe care and treatment, consent and good governance.The CQC downgraded the service’s overall performance, rating its effectiveness as ‘inadequate’, while its safety and leadership also remain ‘inadequate’. Caring and responsiveness were rated as ‘requires improvement’.Amanda Lyndon, the CQC’s deputy director of adult social care for the West Midlands, said inspectors could not be confident people were receiving safe care.She said: “When we inspected Geocare Services Limited, we found that leaders hadn’t made the necessary improvements and we couldn’t be sure that people were receiving safe care and treatment.”Although many people praised staff for being kind and respectful, inspectors heard repeated concerns about unreliable visit times, delays, a lack of continuity in carers and difficulties contacting managers when problems arose.The report also found serious concerns over how people’s consent to care was recorded. While staff said they sought consent during visits, inspectors found no evidence that mental capacity assessments or best-interest decisions had been completed where required under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.Inspectors also found some care plans lacked vital information. In one case, staff had no guidance on managing equipment needed for a person’s continence care, increasing the risk of inconsistent or unsafe treatment.The watchdog also identified concerns over medicines management, including one person not consistently receiving a time-critical medication as prescribed, potentially putting their long-term health at risk.Other failings included gaps in specialist staff training, poor responses to safety concerns raised by partner organisations and weak systems for identifying and learning from mistakes.Inspectors concluded that senior leaders lacked the skills, knowledge and experience needed to run the service effectively and said they had not demonstrated sufficient openness, honesty or integrity.However, the report also highlighted some positive findings. Many people using the service said they felt safe, spoke positively about the care provided by frontline staff and believed their health and wellbeing needs were generally being met.The CQC has placed Geocare Services Limited into special measures, meaning the service will be closely monitored while it works to address the concerns. Inspectors will return to assess whether the required improvements have been made, with further enforcement action possible if standards do not improve.The Express & Star has approached Geocare Services Limited for comment.Continue Reading
Wolverhampton home care agency placed into special measures after CQC inspection
