Hastings care service implements '˜robust action plan' after concerns raised

A Hastings care service has implemented a '˜robust action plan' after being told it requires improvement in its latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, according to its clinical and compliance director.

Nurseplus, in Wellington Square, Hastings, is a domiciliary care agency which, at the time of inspection, cared for 54 people.

In its latest inspection report, the service was told it required improvement in terms of its responsiveness – as people were not always aware of when their care call was due – and its leadership as senior staff, office staff and care staff vacancies had affected the smooth running of the service.

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The care service was also found to be in breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as ‘people did not always receive the care and treatment required to meet their assessed needs, or which reflected their preferences or wishes’. The scheduling of care calls placed people at risk of receiving late calls, according to the CQC report.

Vicki Gidalla, Nurseplus’ clinical and compliance director said: “Nurseplus takes all feedback from CQC very seriously and since receiving the inspection report, we have implemented a robust action plan to ensure the level of our homecare is at the high standard we expect and which our customers deserve – this has included the areas in which CQC shared concerns about. Despite these areas for improvement, we were heartened by the inspector’s numerous positive findings, with the report rating our service ‘good’ in three of the five key areas, deeming it to be safe, caring and effective.

“This service is being actively supported by our wider management team and we are working closely with the local authority. We look forward to welcoming CQC back in the near future to show them the progress that we are making.”

The service was rated ‘good’ in terms of its safety, effectiveness and level of care.

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In its report, released on June 28, the CQC said there had been a lot of changes during the past six months and a number of staff had left the service which had affected the consistency of care.

It added: “The service was moving forward after a difficult period.

People spoke well of the care provided by their regular care staff. They told us their main concern was the lack of rotas and knowledge of who was due to provide their care and when care staff were due to complete their care call.

“Not everybody was sure of who to contact with any concerns. Senior staff from within the organisation were present during the inspection. They acknowledged there had been a period when staff changes had resulted in a lack of continuity of service provided. They told us they had reviewed the care provided and they had supported the manager and all been following an action plan to address issues raised.”

The report also quoted relatives who said they could raise concerns and were confident staff could identify signs of abuse.

People who had been provided care also spoke highly of the care service.

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