Care agency hired workers with criminal convictions and failed to carry out background checks

Angels at Home CIC in Eccles has been placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission

People with criminal convictions were hired as care workers by agency bosses who failed to carry out compulsory background checks on employees.

Salford-based Angels at Home CIC took on staff to work in elderly people’s homes before Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks had been completed, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said.

Two workers were found to have criminal convictions.

Inspectors said people were put at ‘risk of being supported by unsuitable staff’ because checks weren’t carried out - and due to a lack of subsequent risk assessments.

The agency has now been put into special measures after being deemed ‘inadequate’ by CQC bosses, who visited in February.

Inspectors reviewed the files of five members of staff. They discovered one worker, who had a criminal conviction, cared for people in their homes unsupervised for three months before a DBS check had been completed.

Inspectors said agency bosses did not carry out checks on four other members of staff, instead accepting DBS documents from previous employers.

Angels at Home CIC, an Eccles-based care agency, has been placed into special measures by the Care Quality Commission

One of those members of staff had a criminal conviction.

Inspectors said that when they asked the agency’s registered provider whether they had undertaken risk assessments - or explored the circumstances leading to the two workers’ convictions - they were told: “I haven’t got an explanation for it, I don’t think it's right.”

CQC inspectors said bosses had not been ‘honest or transparent’ with the 62 people receiving support as they had told them all staff had checks before starting in-home care.

The damning inspection found seven breaches of the Health and Social Care Act.

CQC bosses said many staff had not undergone induction training and were not versed in basic first aid, medicine, safeguarding or food hygiene.

Angels at Home bosses claimed getting staff to do training was like ‘pulling teeth’. Inspectors said training was unpaid and that bosses expected staff to do it in their own time.

The firm advertised itself as specialising in dementia care, but inspectors found none of the staff at the agency had received dementia training.

Inspectors said two staff members had been administering medicine without receiving training to do so.

CQC chiefs have now stopped the agency from setting up any new packages of care - or altering existing packages - without prior permission from the watchdog.

Inspectors are still considering further enforcement options.

A spokesman for Angels at Home CIC said: “We are committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of all those who use our service and strive to provide the very best care at all times.

“This matter is the subject of ongoing proceedings with the CQC. As such, we are unable to comment further at this stage.”

Salford’s integrated care organisation, which is in charge of hospital, social care and mental health services, has responsibility for domiciliary and nursing home care.

Director of adult social care (resources) at Salford Royal Hospital, Keith Darragh, said: “Our immediate priority is to work with all agencies to ensure continuity of care for people receiving services delivered by Angels at Home.

“We are working closely with the care agency and inspectors from the CQC to make sure there is clear plan for improvement.

“Service users deserve the highest quality of care, therefore we will be closely monitoring progress to ensure that standards improve.”

A spokesman for Sentinel House, where the company rents an office, said: "Although the company rent an office from us, they are nothing to do with Sentinel House. They are just one of a number of companies who rent offices from us."

SOURCE: Manchester Evening News,Charlotte Dobson, Charlotte Green

Sadly this is becoming an all too familiar situation with some care companies cutting corners in order to sign up staff as fast as they possibly can. Another reason to suggest that the whole system needs overhauling to ensure the priority in all cases remains to be the client.