People 'placed at risk of harm' by Banbury care service, say inspectors

The report said that the service offered by Care Hearted Oxfordshire of South Bar, Banbury, placed people at risk of harm, systems for risk assessment were not effective, people were not consistently protected against known risks, information was not kept up to date and care plans were not always reflective of people’s needs.

It also said that medicines were not always safely managed and information was incorrect; staff did not always have the training required and 'as required' medicines did not have protocols in place. Audits were ineffective in identifying concerns and putting mitigating strategies in place to protect people for harm.

Inspectors also said that staff had not always been safely recruited and references had not always been sought and police checks were not always completed before a staff member started to work with people.

They also said that people were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not always support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.

Care Hearted Oxfordshire Office is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care which is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. At the time of the inspection 36 people were receiving personal care.

This service was registered with the CQC on August 19, 2022 and this was the first inspection made on July 6 this year.

The inspectors report said: “People told us staff did not always turn up on time or stay the allocated amount of time. Staff had not always completed the tasks required to meet people's needs. People did not always know which staff were coming to support them.

“People were not always supported with dignity and respect. People were not always able to effectively communicate with staff. Information recorded about people was not always documented in professional or respectful language.

“People did not always receive person centred care. People and relatives were not always involved in reviewing of care needs and not all people had seen a copy of their care plan.

“People, relatives and staff had made some complaints. However, these were not always dealt with satisfactorily. Not all people and relatives felt able to complain.

“Oversight... was inadequate and failed to ensure safe care and treatment was provided. Audits had not identified the concerns we found. Lessons had not been learnt and improvements had not been implemented,” they found.

“The provider and registered manager had not always understood their legal obligations. Notifications required by law had not been submitted to keep people safe.”

“We have identified breaches in relation to risks, medicines, staff recruitment, staff training, dignity and respect, consent and management oversight at this inspection,” they said.

Inspectors gave the care service an ‘Inadequate’ rating for ‘safe’, ‘effective’ and ‘well led’ aspects of the service and ‘Requires Improvement’ to the ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’ elements. The overall rating for this service is 'Inadequate' and the service is therefore in 'special measures'.

The Banbury Guardian has asked the service for comment but had no response.