Special measures for end-of-life care agency which failed to report abuse allegation
A care agency which did not flag up an allegation of abuse has been put in special measures by a government watchdog after its first inspection.
CrucialCare Ltd, based in Sawyer Way, Stone, which provides personal care to people living in their own homes, has been rated inadequate in all areas by the Care Quality Commission.
The service was registered with the CQC on November 12, 2018, and the inspection was in part prompted by concerns raised about unsafe recruitment practices.
All eight people being supported by the agency were receiving end of life care, the report said.
And people were not protected from the risk of abuse because the provider could not demonstrate staff had been trained to identify signs of possible abuse.
The provider was also unable to confirm who was employed and confirmed that pre-employment checks had not always been carried out for staff who were delivering care to vulnerable people.
The report added: "Following an allegation of abuse, the provider failed to follow locally agreed multi-agency guidelines for reporting abuse.
"The provider told us they had not considered referring the allegations to the local authority responsible for investigating safeguarding concerns.
"The provider's own investigation failed to identify what was needed to protect the person from further alleged abuse.
"Furthermore, the provider was unable to evidence other actions taken as they told us they had disposed of the records."
The agency was also "not well managed".
The report said: "Information to ensure the effective and safe operation of the service was not available.
"Essential information required to deliver safe, effective and compassionate care was missing or inaccurate. Recruitment practices were not safe."
CrucialCare Ltd has been contacted for comment.
