People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.

The provider did not ensure that managers and staff were clear about their roles, and understood quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements. Leaders, and the culture they created, did not assure the delivery of high-quality care.Inspectors found the following during this inspection: If they are not, we will not hesitate to take further enforcement action.” “We have told the provider to make urgent improvements to ensure that people and staff are safe, and we will monitor the service closely to ensure these are made and fully embedded. All of this is indicative of an environment where the people living there become reliant on staff to meet their basic needs, instead of being supported to be as independent as possible.

For example, one person who needed more help to get up in the morning, was left in bed until staff had time to deal with them. “We heard routines were created in the service for the benefit of staff and not the people living there. This had impacted on one person in particular and staff had identified possible causes of incidents as boredom and frustration that their freedoms were restricted. They were not always given help to wash and change their clothes, or to go out of the home when they wanted to. “As well as not having enough staff to keep people safe, staff shortages also meant people weren’t supported to be as independent as they could be or encouraged to learn and develop new skills. However, the provider should have intervened to support the acting manager and ensure the service was operating safely. We are aware that recruiting and retaining staff to work in adult social care has been particularly challenging for providers since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the south west. This meant they had little time to focus on making improvements in the service. “The acting manager had limited leadership experience and was often having to provide care and support to people due to the staffing issues. Although this was investigated internally, the provider failed to alert safeguarding authorities and had permitted staff to continue to work excessive hours. This came to a head when one member of staff fell asleep while on duty. They responded by using agency staff to support the service, but some agency staff were having to work 14-hour shifts, which is far too long. “It is particularly disappointing to find this was still an issue, as we told the provider they needed to address insufficient staffing levels after our last inspection. This exposes people to risk of harm and poor quality of life and it resulted in the service being unsafely staffed on at least one occasion. “I am really concerned to hear staff were working such long hours. Some staff were working excessive hours, and one member of staff was routinely working in excess of 84 hours a week. “When we inspected Carrick, we were very concerned to find the service was regularly short staffed and often operating at minimum, and sometimes below, safe staffing levels. If significant improvements have not been made, CQC will take further enforcement action.ĭeborah Ivanova, CQC’s director for people with learning disability and autistic people, said: The service is now in special measures which means it will be kept under review and re-inspected to check that improvements have been made. Effective and caring have dropped from good to requires improvement. Responsive has dropped from good to inadequate. The ratings for safe and well-led have also dropped from requires improvement to inadequate. At the time of the inspection five people were living at the service.įollowing the inspection, the overall rating for the service has dropped from requires improvement to inadequate. The service is run by Spectrum (Devon and Cornwall Autistic Community Trust).ĬQC carried out an unannounced inspection after receiving information of concern about inadequate staffing levels and staff working excessive hours. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Carrick in Truro inadequate overall, following inspections in January and February.Ĭarrick is a residential care home providing personal care for up to five people with learning disabilities or autistic people.

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