Home care agency put into special measures by CQC

A home care agency which helps more than 200 people living in their own homes in Exeter has been put into special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The watchdog inspected Horizon Care (South West) Ltd in September after receiving "information of concern" about the service. It issued a warning notice that "rapid and significant" improvement was needed to safeguarding, care and treatment and how leaders oversaw care.

Rating it inadequate the CQC said the agency had failed to identify serious problems with service management and failed to complete adequate risk assessments, which had left clients vulnerable to harm.

Horizon Care (South West) Ltd said it understood the need to change.

Stefan Kallee, CQC's deputy director for adult social care in Devon, said: "When we inspected Horizon Care (South West) Ltd, we found leaders hadn't identified the serious problems themselves in how the service was being run."

He said this meant clients did not always receive "the safe, person-centred care they needed and deserved".

Mr Kallee said people were not always getting critical medication as prescribed if staff did not visit at agreed times and the report highlighted a lack of detail in care plans.

These included a lack of information about diabetic emergencies, diet or foot care, for a resident with type 2 diabetes which put them at risk of "serious complications" and a care plan which failed to include a moving and handling risk assessment for a client with dementia, said the report.

Mr Kallee added: "We did observe some compassionate and caring practice from long-standing staff who had developed trusting relationships with the people they were supporting."

Horizon Care (South West) Ltd said: "We are working closely with the CQC and Devon County Council to improve the quality of care and ensure our clients are kept safe.

"We fully understand the implications of the report and the need to change. We have employed a new registered manager to lead the team and address the issues that led to the report."

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