Managers at a Stockport home care service told inspectors none of their clients had dementia, when two did, a report reveals.

They also said there was no one who required mobility support at the service, the health watchdog added.

'Several people' in fact did need that type of care, the Care Quality Commission (QCQ) found.

The lapses raised concerns about the service's understanding of consent and safeguarding and whether appropriate training and risk management was in place to ensure safe care.

A damning inspection report now published by the healthcare watchdog evidences widespread failings in the care being provided by Elite Homecare.

Two safeguarding alerts were raised with Stockport council by the inspection team following their visit.

The service, based in Hazel Grove, has also been rated 'inadequate' and put in special measures.

'Significant concerns' were uncovered by the CQC over the competency, skill and experience of staff when it came to meeting care needs, a report stated.

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Appropriate training on moving and handling, skin pressure care, infection control, and learning disability and autism had not been completed, it was said.

One employee told the inspection team they didn't know how to provide catheter care, had raised the issue with managers, but ultimately had to 'figure it out on [their] own. Staff said they 'did not feel supported' and 'did not receive enough training to carry out their role effectively', CQC papers added.

When staff joined the service, they were expected to complete shadowing and training 'in their own time' and did not 'get paid for this', the report said.

Staff were supporting two people to use shower chairs. Neither person used a safety belt and no risk assessment was in place to manage the associated risks. The CQC raised a safeguarding alert with the council as it judged 'staff were supporting people with equipment, medical devices and moving and handling without the necessary training in place'.

A second safeguarding alert was raised in relation to medicine management. There was 'evidence of medication errors', inspectors said.

These included 'large gaps' which indicated 'people had not had their medicines as prescribed'. There was 'no evidence of immediate actions being taken' when doses were missed, nor action to 'mitigate future risks' when records were not completed or contained errors.

The report added: "Our concerns around unsafe medicine administration were such that we raised a safeguarding alert with the local authority."

Management and staff did not demonstrate 'an understanding of consent' when it came to people with dementia. Managers further did not show they understood the 'legal safeguards' when it came to power of attorneys.

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"The management team told us there was no-one receiving care who had a dementia diagnosis; however, staff told us about two people they supported who had dementia," the report continued.

Paperwork had, in some cases, been signed by family members when it was 'unclear if they had the authority to do so'.

Managers said taking on care for people coming as they came out of hospital was 'problematic'. They said information was not 'supplied to them in a timely way', while staff said they would sometimes arrive to provide care and find information about their needs had not been completed.

Care plans and risk assessments were 'only partially completed' in some cases, with potential risks 'mostly marked as 'non identified''. One had not been reviewed since 2022.

Issues with recruitment were also found, with concerns including a lack of suitable references and employment histories. One staff member did not 'have a suitable police check in place'.

A second had been working for the service for a year, but their name was not on the staff list provided to the inspectors, the report added.

The CQC said: "Despite several requests for this information, it was never provided to us. This meant we could not be assured only suitable staff had been employed to care for people in their own home, some of whom may be vulnerable. We shared our concerns with the local authority."

Despite the serious concerns identified during the inspection, clients spoke positively about the staff caring for them.

One said: "They [staff] are good company, the two that come here, and we usually have a laugh."

Another person added: "[Staff name] is lovely and she treats me very well and is so polite."

Ultimately, the CQC delivered a damning verdict on the management of the service.

The watchdog said: "We were not assured the management team had the experience, capacity, capability and integrity to ensure an organisational vision could be delivered and risks were well managed.

"We were not assured the manager running the day to day operations of the service had been suitably trained and supported to carry out the tasks involved, such as carrying out assessments of people's care needs and assessing risks to their health, safety and wellbeing.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached Elite Homecare for comment.

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