Careuk247 Home Care Cambridgeshire

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 respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. At the time of the assessment, the service was providing regulated activity to autistic people or people with a learning disability. We found specific improvements were required, this included staff training, and a more personalised approach to care planning to meet people’s specific communication needs.

This assessment was prompted by concerns regarding whether people were receiving safe care. Specifically, concerns related to the support provided for skin integrity, personal care, and infection prevention and control practices. We found the provider was in breach of legal regulations relating to safe care and treatment, person-centred care, and good governance. People were not always supported safely in line with their individual needs, and care plans did not consistently identify those needs or clearly set out the specific support staff were required to provide. We identified areas where improvement was needed, indicating that the provider's governance systems had not been effective in identifying and addressing these concerns.

Whilst the provider responded to the concerns identified during the assessment, we could not be assured that improvements had been fully embedded or that effective oversight arrangements were in place to sustain these changes and reduce the risk of recurrence.

The assessment was undertaken by 2 inspectors and 2 Experts by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using, or caring for someone who uses, this type of care service.

We sought feedback from 4 health professional teams that work with the service. One team declined to provide feedback, and we did not receive responses from the remaining teams. The local authority did provide feedback, and we also contacted Healthwatch to obtain any information they held about the service. Healthwatch is the independent champion for people using health and social care services in England, gathering and representing the views and experiences of the public.

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