Inspectors 'deeply concerned' over care company

Santos Care, in Wolverhampton, first recieved a rating of inadequate in October 2023

Inspectors have said they are "deeply concerned" with the lack of progress a care provider has made to the way it is run, and will keep it under close review to ensure patients are safe.

Santos Care Limited, in Wolverhampton, kept its rating of inadequate and remained in special measures after an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

An inspection report released on Thursday said there "continued to be breaches around person-centred care, consent, safe care, and treatment and governance."

Santos Healthcare said they had made several improvements, the changes would take time but they were working hard to make it a safe, caring and well-led service.

Santos Care provides care in people’s homes, and was first given a rating of inadequate after an inspection in October.

In December it was placed in special measures, and in January it lost its licence to sponsor foreign workers, following an investigation by BBC News.

Andy Brand from the CQC said the manager did not have oversight of what was happening, and information provided by staff was "inconsistent."

He added that it was not clear if restrictions, like bed rails, had been made in people's best interests, or with recorded consent from families.

The CQC said it was taking further regulatory action, which would be published when it was legally able to do so.

Failings found by CQC inspectors:

• The provider did not ensure risks were properly assessed, and staff did not have access to guidance to support people safely

• No systems were in place to make sure medication was administered safely

• Patients were at risk of potential harm due to a lack of effective management and care monitoring

• Audits did not always accurately reflect the care provided

• Safeguarding referrals had to be made to the local authority for patients whose support had ended with an unconfirmed notice period to ensure they were safe

However, the report noted there were enough staff to support patients, and late calls were notified in advance.

Relatives shared positive feedback about care, and felt their family members were safe when receiving support.

A range of improvements have been made at the facility, a spokesperson for Santos Healthcare said.

They included recruiting a new management team, improving how they gathered and used data and reducing the number of people who used their service to a more “manageable level”.

Transforming the service would take time but staff have worked hard to make the changes with the aim of the service becoming safe, caring, responsive, well-led and effective, they added.