Inspectors put Barnard Castle care firm in 'special measures' following visit

A PROMINENT Teesdale  care provider has been put into special measures after the service was found to be inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
This is despite most of those receiving help from Castle Care, in Barnard Castle, saying they are happy with the service they get.
Some 72 adults in and around the town make use of the service.
Inspections were carried out by the CQC in February and March this year after Castle Care was rated “requires improvement” during an inspection in September last year.
The commission has now rated Castle Care as inadequate for safety, effectiveness and responsiveness. It was also described as not being well led.
The CQC report said: “The overall rating for this service is ‘inadequate’ and the service is therefore in ‘special measures’. Where necessary, another inspection will be conducted within a further six months, and if there is not enough improvement so there is still a rating of inadequate for any key question or overall, we will take action to prevent the provider from operating this service. This will lead to cancelling their registration or to varying the terms of their registration.”
The report said people using the service are at risk of not receiving their medicines properly because a number of staff had not received the correct training.
It said that of the 32 staff members, many had not received training other than an induction course.
The report said: “This left 13 staff who had no training in the safe administration and handling of medicines.
“Of these staff we saw in the four medicine administration records we viewed that seven staff members had administered medicines including creams, transdermal patches and eye drops with no training.
“Staff were not all trained in areas to keep people safe such as handling medicines and health and safety.”
There was also criticism of a lack of safety assessments, particularly for clients who have handrails, and care plans were not “person centred”.
The CQC said: “We found care plans were a list of tasks to be carried out by care staff.”
In asking if Castle Care’s service is caring, the CQC found it “requires improvement”.
The report added that according to the training records provided during the inspection, no staff had completed the workbook for basic emergency aid.
Inspectors said: “One staff member told us. ‘I asked about renewing my first aid and they [management] said ‘Why would you need first aid’?”
However those who receive the service say they are happy.
The report said: “We saw staff upheld people’s dignity and respect. Feedback from people who used the service at Castle Care was positive about the care and support they received from staff.
“Staff we spoke with knew people’s preferences and needs well although this was not reflected in their plans of care.”
Margaret Elliot, who runs Castle Care, said the company was appealing against the report.
She added: “The report was mostly about paper work and nothing to do with the care.
“It’s the care that’s important.”