A CARE provider based in St Helens has been placed into special measures after a series of failures were identified.

Cera Prescot, which is based at Century House in St Helens, provides home personal care support for more than 260 people with dementia and learning difficulties, was rated inadequate after an inspection carried out by the Care Quality Commission earlier this year.

Serious problems identified

Inspectors found serious problems around safety and leadership which left patients “exposed to avoidable risk of harm” in the way medicines were managed.

In some cases, patients were not provided with medication prescribed to prevent skin breakdown, leaving vulnerable people at “increased risk of skin breakdown and poor health outcomes.” 

Some records showed patients were not being given other medicines prescribed over several days.

Problems were also noted with record keeping, care plans, needs assessments as well as in terms of how the organisation monitored and reviewed its practices to ensure patients’ needs were being met and problems addressed.

The report stated that “lessons were not always learnt” and safeguarding reviews did not always lead to actions taken in a timely way to prevent issues reoccuring.

Other issues identified included the way staff dealt with deprivation of liberty regulations and consent, with the report noting that systems in place were “not robust enough to ensure people were supported to make decisions about their care and treatment.”

Finding the provider in breach of health and social care act regulations in respect of safety and leadership, inspectors placed the service in special measures.

Care provider's response

A Cera Prescot spokesperson said that action was being taken to address the issues raised in the report, stating the service is committed to improving its services for clients.

The spokesperson said: “We are committed to empowering people to live longer, healthier lives in their homes.

“We have taken action on the issues identified in this report and are continuing to implement robust procedures to ensure this does not happen again.

“We are working with our team, the people affected, the Care Quality Commission, and the local authority to improve services.”