Meadow Home Care Services Ltd

The provider had failed to follow the lone worker policy and ensure staff working alone in the community had a risk assessment in place which would support them to know what to do in an emergency or if they felt unsafe.

The provider completed audits but follow up actions from these did not always take place and when they did, they were not recorded in detail. The use of paper records meant audits of medicines were not completed in 'real time' so it was difficult for managers to know when medicines had been refused or missed so appropriate action could be taken.

The provider had not followed the processes required when investigating staff disciplinary matters. This had led to safeguarding concerns not being reported to the appropriate authorities. The policy was unclear and did not support managers to fulfil their role in this area of their work.

Staff wore personal protective equipment during visits and people and their relatives said there had been no concerns with this.

Staff were experienced and had recently renewed all mandatory training. They found managers to be supportive and enjoyed working for Meadow Home Care. Managers and staff worked closely with other professionals to ensure care was appropriate and delivered in a timely way.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.