Care service in special measures after inspection

A care service where inspectors saw staff move a person having an epileptic seizure in an "unsafe way" has been rated inadequate and placed in special measures.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found medicines were "not always managed safely" at Enabling Others Limited, which was rated good in December 2022.

The service, based in Coalville, Leicestershire, supports people who are under the age of 65 and living with mental health conditions or learning disabilities in their own homes.

A spokesperson for Enabling Others said the safety of the people it supported was its "highest priority", and added it had implemented a service improvement plan.

A report from the CQC said staff moved a person during a seizure and did not make use of the recovery position at the appropriate time to minimise the risk of choking.

The report from inspectors added the service was "not always caring", but added: "The provider and staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity."

The CQC said the service was in breach of six regulations in relation to person-centred care, consent, safe care and treatment, good management, staffing, and fit and proper persons employed.

By placing the service in special measures, the CQC said it would be able to carry out "close monitoring".

The watchdog has also started the process of taking regulatory action to address concerns, which it said the service had the right to appeal.

Greg Rielly, CQC's deputy director of adult social care for the East Midlands, said the standard of care provided by the service had "deteriorated significantly".

He added: "Our inspectors saw staff put people at risk by not always storing or managing medicines safely, and we found that staff didn't always give people their medicines as prescribed.

"For example, one person liked staff to crush their medicines and mix them with water, but prescribed instructions said some medicines should be swallowed whole.

"This meant staff couldn't always be assured that these medicines were effective for people."

A spokesperson for Enabling Others said after the inspection it implemented a comprehensive service improvement plan.

"We remain committed to continuous improvement and to working closely with the CQC and other relevant agencies to ensure the highest standards of care are consistently maintained," the spokesperson added.

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