Dedicated Care East Anglia Limited

The assessment was prompted in part by notification of an incident involving a service user. This incident is subject to further investigation by CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this assessment did not examine the circumstances of the incident. However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk of the care and support provided to people. This assessment examined those risks.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability were treated with respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and had good access to local communities that most people take for granted. We found the provider did not consistently support people in line with this guidance.

The provider did not ensure that risks were identified, assessed and mitigated to ensure that people received safe care and support. They did not safeguard people consistently and action taken following incidents was not always appropriate which raised concerns around staff’s skillset and competence, and this meant outcomes for people were not always improved.

We found people’s needs were not always assessed accurately and their care plans were not always followed by staff. Care provided was not consistently evidence based. The provider could not evidence people were consistently given choices and were in control of their care and support needs. There were gaps around people’s consent and the information provided.

We found concerns of a closed culture within the service and poor governance. Policies and procedures were not accurate and not routinely followed, audits failed to identify concerns and statutory notifications were not routinely submitted. There was a lack of understanding into identifying where lessons could be learnt and shared effectively with the team.

However, people were supported on a regular basis to access the community. They were supported to attend medical appointments, to participate in activities they appeared to enjoy, and to develop their knowledge and skill sets with daily tasks to live healthier lives. To ensure continuity of care was provided, people were supported as individuals by the same staff.

We found the provider was in breach of 5 legal regulations. These related to person-centred care, consent, safe care and treatment, safeguarding and good governance. The provider had begun to action our concerns identified and sought external support to assist them in implementing improvements. They were working with commissioners to review peoples care and support needs.

In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide.