Care provider rated good after special measures

A care service that supports people in their own homes in North East Lincolnshire has been rated as good after being placed in special measures earlier this year.

In February, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Unicorn Healthcare Services, which is based in Cleethorpes, as inadequate.

The report came after an inspection which found medicines were not always administered safely and staff did not always have the qualifications, skills or experience to carry out their roles.

But, following another assessment in November, the CQC said "lessons were learned" and "sufficient improvement" had been made.

The inspection which informed February's inadequate rating was made after the watchdog received concerns about the service from users and their families.

Some of the concerns included people having to tell their carers what to do, staff not turning up and correct actions not always being taken when incidents occurred.

The CQC said it had issued a warning notice for company bosses to make "significant improvements around how they were managing the service".

Unicorn Healthcare Services said it acknowledged the report but "respectfully disagreed" with some of the findings because they "do not accurately reflect the high quality of care provided".

Following the inspection, Unicorn Healthcare Services said it had offered staff further training and improved the way it monitored performance.

After its latest assessment, the CQC identified the service was no longer in breach of regulations.

The CQC said in its recent report that staff were recruited safely and had received training to equip them for their role.

The report found care calls were usually on time, and if the staff were going to be late, people told the CQC they were notified.

It also said the provider reviewed care plans with people and their families to ensure that the service was personalising their care.

The CQC added that people using the service said they were happy with the support provided and they knew they could contact management with any concerns.

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