Home care agency in Luton rated as 'requires improvement' after Care Quality Commission inspection

A home care agency in Luton has been told to improve by Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors in a report published last week.

Azelea Care Solutions Ltd, on Stuart Street, provides domiciliary care for the elderly and those with autism and learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection in May, six people were in their care.

The report found that the safety of the service needed to improve. It stated: "Not all risks to people had been assessed. For example, people with risks related to heart conditions and stroke or who were prescribed high risk medicines such as blood thinners.” The CQC spoke to the manager who took immediate action to resolve the issue.

Despite this, service users were positive about the care they received. One person said: "I feel very safe with them, and very happy with the level of support I receive at the moment.”

Another person added: "I feel safe with the staff. They notice everything and record it and I know they pass on information about everything to do with me and my care."

The service was founded to be effective and had worked with health and social care professionals to assess and plan care for its users.

Feedback from relatives was also positive - one said: "They will notify us if they are concerned about [my family member's] health or let us know if they think they need a doctor.”

People were treated kindly by staff and their needs and cultures were handled with sensitivity. Their independence was also promoted and respected.

Azelea Care Solutions’ service leadership, management and governance requires improvement, according to the CQC report.

The report stated: “Provider oversight had not been effective as it had not identified until this process, the shortfalls in relation to risk management we found at this inspection.

“The manager had recently undertaken a full audit of all aspects of care delivery and records and begun to take action to ensure they made the required improvements but these were not yet fully implemented.”

Inspectors said that a registered manager was required at the service - the current manager had applied for this but this was still pending.

Azelea Care Solutions was approached for comment.