Staff at a Knowsley-based care home service were not being regularly tested for Covid-19 throughout the pandemic, the care watchdog has said.
An inspection of ICare Ltd’s Knowsley branch, which provides domiciliary care to around 119 people, found clients were being placed “at risk of harm” and infection due to a lack of regular testing.
A report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on Thursday (May 20) said: “We were not assured that all staff were encouraged to participate in the Covid-19 testing programme.
“For instance, only staff who presented with symptoms were encouraged to complete a Covid-19 test but there was no regard for staff who were asymptomatic and still could have been transmitting the disease.
“As not all staff were being tested for Covid-19 in line with current best practice guidance, there was no possible way to trace how the disease was being transmitted should an outbreak occur.”
Although the CQC inspectors found “no evidence that people have been harmed”, they noted that ICare had breached regulations and “placed people at risk of harm”.
However, ICare denied that staff had not taken tests and insisted that there had only been a failure to record the results of asymptomatic tests, which was a breach of the regulations.
A spokesperson for the company said: "The CQC factual accuracy process was complied with and our comments on the inaccuracies in the report and inspection methodology were submitted. It is regretful that CQC did not address all of these before publishing the report and before reviewing our challenges to the warning notice.
"We have submitted clear arguments to show that some of the findings in the report were unfair or overstated. Our staff and branch management have worked tirelessly through the pandemic to deliver care as safely as possible to vulnerable people in their own homes.
"We accept there have been shortfalls in documentation, and we acknowledge that there is room for improvement. We have devised an action plan specifically in relation to the shortfalls identified in the CQC report we will be working in partnership with Knowsley Council to ensure it is rigorously applied."
Other safety failings identified by the inspectors included staff “not observing PPE arrangements”, conflicting medication records and people being given medicine at incorrect times.
They also found that staffing problems meant people “did not always receive the required level of support that had been agreed”, with carers arriving very early or very late and not always remaining for the full time allotted.
The inspectors’ report said: “We saw evidence of missed calls, extremely early calls and late lunch calls.
“People did not always receive the level of care that had been agreed or at the time that was required. For instance, one person received an early morning call at 5.57am, when it had been agreed that their morning call should be between 8.15 and 8.45.
“Although people were happy with the level of care they received, we received mixed feedback about frequency and duration of the calls they received.
“Comments included ‘[Staff] very seldom stay the full time’, ‘[Staff] don’t always arrive on time’ and ‘Usually on time but sometimes don’t arrive until 10am which makes it a long night when you’ve been in bed since 8pm.”
Following the inspection, ICare’s deputy manager told the CQC it would hold a meeting with staff to discuss staff rotas and “the importance of going to calls at the times on their rotas”.
The ICare spokesperson added: "ICare (GB) Ltd accept many of the findings in the CQC report and acknowledge that there is room for improvement.
"However, the CQC inspector did not fully acknowledge the difficult conditions under which ICare, and all care providers, have been working during the pandemic. Our priority has been to ensure that vulnerable people continue to receive the visits they need, and that they and our staff are kept as safe as possible."
