Exeter care agency rated 'inadequate' and in special measures

Bosses at Horizon Care insist change

Bosses at an Exeter care agency which has been criticised by a government watchdog for breaching safeguarding regulations said today: “We had fallen into bad habits – and we’re going to change.”

Horizon Care (South West) has been downgraded from good to inadequate and placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which says it has taken the measure ‘to protect people’.

The company provides personal care to 236 people living in their own homes in the city.

The CQC says it carried out the inspection after receiving ‘information of concern’.

In a report published today, inspectors say they found the service was in breach of nine regulations relating to safeguarding, safe care and treatment, person-centred care, consent, staffing, dignity and respect, required notifications to relevant organisations, fit and proper persons employed, and the management of the service.

A warning notice has been issued to highlight areas where the CQC says rapid and significant improvement is needed, particularly in safe care and treatment, safeguarding, and how leaders were overseeing the service.

The agency will now be closely monitored by the CQC to ensure people are safe while improvements are made, with a structured timeframe to make sure they happen.

Horizon Care company secretary John Bickham said the agency understood the issues raised and was committed to fixing them.

He explained: “We put in some new systems, and they didn’t work. Now we have simplified them to make sure they do work, and we have employed a new manager.

“We have decided to bring in a fresh team.”

He said measures were already in place to address the issues highlighted by the CQC.

“We need to change the whole ethos of the company,” he said. “We had fallen into some bad habits which we needed to change. We are going to work on it, and we are going to change the team.”

Stefan Kallee, the CQC’s deputy director for adult social care in Devon, said the inspection had found that leaders had not identified serious problems in how the service was being run. He added: “This lack of understanding meant people weren’t always getting the safe, person-centred care they needed and deserved.

“These issues had an effect on people, as some didn’t always feel safe with the carers supporting them. People told us their visits weren’t always carried out when support was needed, and visit times were often changed without notice.

“We found that safeguarding concerns and incidents of potential abuse were not always documented or reported to the local authority as they should have been. The local authority confirmed that it had received multiple safeguarding referrals involving the service, but these were not always raised by the service itself.”

Mr Kallee said people did not consistently receive critical medication as prescribed because staff didn’t always visit at the agreed times. Staff said there were occasions where visits were delayed and time-sensitive medications were given late as a result.

“Leaders didn’t make sure care plans had enough detail in them so staff could provide safe and effective support,” he added. “For example, a person with type two diabetes received help with meals and personal care, but their plan provided no guidance on diet, diabetic emergencies, or foot care, putting them at risk of serious complications such as diabetic emergencies, foot ulcers and infections.

“However, we did observe some compassionate and caring practice from long-standing staff who had developed trusting relationships with the people they were supporting.

“We’ve told leaders at Horizon where they must make immediate and significant improvements, and we’re monitoring them closely to keep people safe while this happens.”