Care provider in special measures over safety risk

A service which provides private care to people in their own homes in North East Lincolnshire has been placed into special measures.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Unicorn Healthcare Services as inadequate and said it would be kept under close review to ensure its users were safe.

Inspectors said medicines were not always administered safely and staff did not always have the qualifications, skills or experience to carry out their roles.

Unicorn Healthcare Services, which is based in Cleethorpes, said it acknowledged the report but "respectfully disagreed" with some of the findings because they "do not accurately reflect the high quality of care provided".

The inspection in October and November was made after the watchdog received concerns about the service from users and their families.

Some of the concerns included people having to tell their carers what to do, staff not turning up and correct actions not always being taken when incidents occurred.

Inspectors also found staff not wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) at times, which "placed people at risk of infection".

The CQC said it had issued a warning notice for company bosses to make "significant improvements around how they were managing the service".

Alan Stephenson, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: "This service looks after people who rely on staff for their basic care needs and leaders must make the necessary improvements as a matter of urgency."

He said the watchdog would "use our regulatory powers further if people aren't receiving the care they have a right to expect".

Mr Stephenson also noted staff treated people with "respect and kindness" during visits.

In a statement, Unicorn Healthcare Services said it had noted several areas of concern but wanted the CQC to "consider revising the inspection report to more accurately reflect the high-quality care provided".

The provider said comments around the administration of medication were "inaccurate and misleading" and observations around staff skills and competence were "vague and unsupported".

It also said the report "fails to recognize the numerous instances of exceptional care and support provided by our team".

Following the inspection, Unicorn Healthcare Services said it had offered staff further training and improved the way it monitored performance to "meet the highest standards of care".

The full inspection report will be published in the coming days.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.