7 November 2022
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Fresh Tree Care provides personal care and support to people who require assistance in their own home. At the time of the inspection 41 people were being supported by the service. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
People's experience of using the service and what we found
Improvements were required relating to recruitment checks, some aspects of medicines management and carrying out robust internal investigations following safeguarding concerns.
People were not receiving care at their preferred times. The quality systems had not identified these concerns.
People were protected by the providers prevention and control of infection practices and arrangements. People said they felt safe and had no concerns about their safety or wellbeing.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good [published February 2020]. The service is now Requires improvement.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about recruitment practices and management of people's care and visits. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.
We have identified breaches in relation to recruitment practices, quality assurance and person-centred care.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we inspect next.