Leicester care agency bosses obstructed inspectors - CQC

Inspectors said company bosses obstructed them and would not share information

A care agency in Leicester has been deregistered after inspectors found a series of failings.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it had cancelled the registration of 24/7 Flex Care Limited after finding people who used the company did not always receive safe care.

The watchdog rated the firm inadequate in December 2022 and has done so again after a follow-up visit.

The company has been contacted for comment.

In its latest report, published at the end of March, the CQC said medicines were not managed safely and that staff did not have proper training.

'Fear of repercussions'

Inspectors also said the recruitment of "multiple" staff members had not been "safe" as they had references missing and gaps in their employment history, which meant the company could not be assured of the person's background and whether they were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

Care records were not accurate nor consistent and the company failed to ensure service users were not abused, they added.

Inspectors had said in their previous report that users were at risk of improper treatment because safeguarding incidents were not being identified nor investigated, and they found that the same was true during their most recent visit.

They also said that a "closed culture" was "prevalent" within the company - including, for example, the workforce comprising family members or close friends and staff being unwilling to speak to inspectors for fear of repercussions - which inspectors said meant "people were more likely to be at risk of deliberate or unintentional harm".

Bosses obstructed inspectors, did not openly share information and removed information from computer systems, the watchdog said.

A spokesperson for the CQC confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the service had had its registration cancelled and as a result had been deregistered as an authorised service provider.

• Care home put in special measures over safety fears

• Inadequate care home in special measures

• Care home residents referred to by room numbers

The agency, based in Constitution Hill, off St George's Way in the city centre, provided personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

It supported adults with dementia, learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorders, physical disabilities and sensory impairment.

At the time of inspection there were 11 people using the service, 10 of whom were receiving personal care.

The CQC said this was the third consecutive inspection in which 24/7 Flex Care Limited had failed to demonstrate safe recruitment practices, and that not all staff had ID badges, with the lack of staff identification meaning people were unable to check if the member of staff visiting them was genuine.

The CQC added: "Our findings throughout this inspection found safeguarding incidents had occurred. Staff failed to recognise incidents and protect people from improper treatment."

Investigators said people remained at risk of "improper treatment, through a lack of safeguarding incidents being identified and investigated".

Inspectors found throughout the inspection there was a lack of "openness" and "transparency".

They said that when they phoned to announce the inspection, the manager told them a new computer system was due to go live the day after the scheduled visit and asked for a delay.

The inspection went ahead as planned, however, and when the inspectors arrived, they found that the new system was not due to start for some time, they said.