Archived: Accommodation with Assistants at hand

Accommodation with Assistants at Hand is a residential care home providing personal care for to up to 11 people in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were 6 people using the service. The registered manager and provider are the same person.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People did not have care plans which meant risks associated with people’s care had not been identified and could not be managed safely. Medicines management was not based on current best practice which exposed people to a significant risk of harm and/ or not receiving their medicines as prescribed. Some medicines were not stored safely.

People were not always protected from the risk of avoidable harm because the risks associated with people’s care were not assessed or managed. The environment and the premises were unsafe and as a result we made an alert to the fire service.

Safeguarding systems and processes were not followed. The registered manager (who was also the registered provider) did not always report and investigate safeguarding concerns. As a result of this inspection we made a safeguarding referral to the Local Authority to ensure one person was safely protected from harm.

The providers oversight and governance of the service was inadequate, Systems were either not in place or not operated effectively. Serious failings in relation to safety and quality had not been identified or addressed.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 13 November 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The services first inspection was brought forward because we received concerns in relation to people’s safety and the management and leadership within the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We wrote to the provider following our inspection asking for an action plan on how they would keep people safe. The provider responded, however we were not fully assured that appropriate action had been/ would be taken to mitigate the risks significant risks we identified.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the safe, and well-led sections of this full report.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified three breaches in relation to safety and the quality of the service.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will continue to work with the local authority to ensure people’s safety. The provider has taken the decision to de register this service.