A care service in Glenrothes has been criticised for not conducting the necessary staff checks to confirm they were fit for the job.
The Care Inspectorate found that CarePlus (Scotland) Ltd did not carry out robust background checks on workers that it was recruiting for its home care service.
Inspectors found that, although references were generally sought, they were not always from previous employers and were gained verbally, with little evidence of their authenticity.
In addition, paperwork was “at times incomplete”, which pointed to a poor selection process.
Other workers were not registered properly with the industry watchdog.
As a result, the Care Inspectorate deemed the firm’s staff team to be “weak”.
‘Potentially unsafe situation’ of unregistered staff working for Glenrothes care service
A report said: “At the time of the inspection (in late October), the manager had not been able to provide all the documentation requested to demonstrate robust quality assurance.
“Aspects of staff recruitment and registration were not being adequately monitored.
“This had led to a potentially unsafe situation of unregistered staff working for the service.”
Other areas of the service were also deemed to be weak.
Staff were found to have, on occasion, arrived late or not at all at clients’ homes.
Although the number of missed visits appeared to be low, the Care Inspectorate said the system required further management to ensure that “vulnerable people were not put at risk”.
Glenrothes care service told to make improvements after inspection
In addition, while a medication tracker was in place, documents were unable to be presented to inspectors.
This left clients at risk of medication being given too early, too late or outwith safe intervals.
Meanwhile, the Care Inspectorate found some requirements set out from a previous inspection – involving the administration of medication, and management of care visits and healthcare plans – had not been met.
CarePlus has now been set a further deadline of January 1 to make further improvements.
Among these is ensuring all its staff are registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) – the watchdog for workers in the industry.
CarePlus (Scotland) Ltd – which services both Fife social work and private clients – has been contacted for comment.
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