Dementia patients put at risk of harm by care firm

A home care provider has been placed in special measures after inspectors found failings that put vulnerable people at risk of harm.

Clarity Homecare Wolverhampton was rated inadequate overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after inspectors found the provider breached regulations relating to safe care and treatment, safeguarding, staff training and overall management of the service.

The watchdog, which carried out an inspection in September, raised concerns about the way risks were managed and found no evidence that people's needs had always been properly assessed before care was delivered.

Despite the concerns, people using the service spoke positively about the care provided by staff.

The care agency provides personal care to adults with dementia, sensory or physical disability and mental health conditions. The service registered with the CQC in 2024 and this was its first visit by the watchdog.

Care plans and risk assessments were found to be incomplete in some cases, while medicines were not always managed safely, said inspectors.

The report also said there were no effective systems in place to audit medication practices and records showed training information was only available for three of the service's 10 employees, with all recorded training having expired.

One member of staff told inspectors they had worked at the service for more than a month without receiving any training.

But feedback gathered by inspectors described carers as kind and caring, with people reporting they felt safe and were treated with dignity and respect.

Concerns were also raised around safeguarding, with inspectors finding staff and managers did not always have a sufficient understanding of procedures designed to protect vulnerable people from abuse and harm.

The watchdog said leaders did not have effective systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of care being provided and had failed to identify or address a number of the issues uncovered during the inspection.

Clarity Homecare Wolverhampton was rated Inadequate overall, with the service also receiving inadequate ratings for safety, effectiveness and leadership.

Caring and responsiveness were rated as requiring improvement.

Victoria Vallance, CQC deputy director of operations in the Midlands, said: "When we inspected Clarity Homecare Wolverhampton, we found leaders didn't have enough oversight to ensure people received safe care and treatment. This put people at risk of harm."

"People and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring, but this isn't enough if systems and processes aren't in place to keep people safe.

"We have told leaders where immediate improvements are needed and will continue to monitor the service to ensure people receive the safe care they have a right to expect."

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