Manchester domestic care provider put in special measures

Routes Healthcare Manchester office is based at Jactin House, Ancoats

A care provider has been placed in special measures after inspectors found evidence of widespread unsafe practice.

Routes Healthcare Manchester, which provides care to people living in their homes, has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The health and social care regulator found five people had missed doses of medicines and one person ran out of a critical medication for three weeks.

The company said it "deeply regretted" failings and was making improvements.

The inspection, which took place in November, also revealed carers were given just three to five minutes for travel time between calls, meaning they would leave early or arrive late, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It also found effective systems had not been established to assess, monitor or mitigate risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service which placed people at risk of harm.

However, inspectors said there were enough staff available to meet people's needs at the complex care and reablement services with a contingency plan in place for staff shortages.

A spokesman for Routes Healthcare said: "We deeply regret that we have failed to consistently deliver the expected standards of the domiciliary care department at this branch. We are working tirelessly to put this right.

The company said was "reviewing and strengthening" internal management, supervision and training processes, including medicines administration and management.

It added it had also appointed a new Director of Quality and was working closely with the CQC to "ensure our Manchester domiciliary care department is returned to its previous consistently high standards of care as quickly as possible".