Care agency taken over after inspection report raises serious concerns

A care at home service has been warned it might have its registration cancelled unless it makes 'significant' improvements within days.
A care at home service has been warned it might have its registration cancelled unless it makes significant improvements within days. Picture: Stock imageA care at home service has been warned it might have its registration cancelled unless it makes significant improvements within days. Picture: Stock image
A care at home service has been warned it might have its registration cancelled unless it makes significant improvements within days. Picture: Stock image

The Care Inspectorate served a formal Improvement Notice on Highland Care Agency Home Care & Support Services in Edinburgh following an inspection which raised serious concerns.

It said the agency must make improvements to the care experienced by older people, and issued a notice listing four areas which require urgent improvement by Monday September 3.

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The agency has now been taken over by Lighthouse 24HR Recruitment Limited “in order to turn around the business”.

The improvements ordered include making proper provision for the health, welfare and safety of people who rely on the service.

The service must also ensure the health, welfare and safety needs of people are met and in particular ensure care visits are carried out when they are scheduled to be carried out - and that people’s health, welfare and safety needs are met during those visits.

A Care Inspectorate spokesman said: “The improvement notice we have issued clearly lays out the improvements we must see so that the care experienced by people improves quickly.

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“We will inspect this service again soon to check on progress and if we are not satisfied that the matters raised are being addressed urgently we will not hesitate to take further action.

“Everyone in Scotland has the right to safe, compassionate care which meets their needs and respects their rights.”

A spokeswoman for Lighthouse said: “Highland Care Agency Home Care and Support Services, Edinburgh, has been acquired by Lighthouse 24HR Recruitment Limited, in order to turn around the business.

“Its existing problems have been well documented by the Care Inspectorate.

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“As a way forward, the company is working with the Care Inspectorate, the local council and has engaged an external consultant to work on the improvement notice.

“We hopefully see this as a way forward and our passion is to provide a better service to all our clients.”

The improvement notice also says it must ensure there are appropriate numbers of suitably qualified and competent people working in the care service and it should follow safe recruitment practices.

The Care Inspectorate warned that unless there is a “significant improvement in provision of the service” it intends to make a proposal to cancel its registration.

The inspection report will be published at a later date.