The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Galilee Care as inadequate following an inspection in March and placed the service into special measures to protect people.
Galilee Care, run by Galilee Care LTD, providing care and support for people living in their own homes, some of whom are living with dementia or have physical disabilities.
Following this inspection, CQC found seven breaches in regulation relating to person-centred care, safeguarding people from abuse, safe care and treatment, staffing, consent to care, and how the service was being managed. Galilee Care was issued with a warning notice because of these breaches in order to focus their attention on making rapid and widespread improvements in these areas.
The service’s overall rating and how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led all declined from good to inadequate.
The service has been placed in special measures which means they will be closely monitored by CQC to keep people safe while they make improvements. CQC has also begun the process of taking further regulatory action which Galilee Care has the right to appeal.
Serena Coleman, CQC’s deputy director of operations in Kent, said:
“When we visited Galilee Care, we were deeply concerned by the inadequate standard of care being provided. Poor leadership had created a service systematically failing vulnerable people.
“Our inspectors found people dealing with deeply distressing situations, like one person’s incontinence pad on their bed had not changed regularly. Forced to change this themselves even though it was physically difficult for them. Another person found an overflowing bin and faeces wrapped in blue roll that had been put into an empty toilet roll holder in their house. This is unacceptable, this is someone’s home and carers should be treating it as such.
“Staff were compromising people’s dignity daily. One person told our inspectors, that they felt some staff mishandled them and treated them roughly. This was reflected in other complaints to the service, with reports of staff being rude and abrasive towards people. Alarmingly, none of these concerns had been raised as safeguarding issues with the local authority, and unexplained bruising hadn’t been investigated internally.
“Staff weren’t even meeting people’s basic care needs or preferences. One relative told us they found their family member lying flat in bed with no pillows supporting them. They had requested that their family member not be laid down fully as they couldn’t reach drinks overnight.
“These are not minor oversights – they represent fundamental failures that put people at risk of dehydration and discomfort.
“Leaders did not support staff to keep people safe or give them the information needed to do their job. Risk management and fully populated care plans were virtually non-existent. Staff were sometimes given no information about clients other than an address and a key number to access their property. Leaders also set staff up for failure by not giving them enough travel time between calls. meaning they were consistently late and having to rush through tasks rather than take the time needed to support people safely and compassionately.
“When we spoke to leaders at Galilee Care particularly around the timing of care calls, they told us they knew the system was ineffective. This demonstrates a leadership team that recognised problems but took no effective action to address them.
“We’ll continue to monitor this service closely to make sure people are safe while improvements are made. CQC has also begun the process of taking regulatory action, which the service has the right to appeal.”
Inspectors found:
- People and relatives consistently told inspectors no action was taken when they complained. This culture of leaders ignoring feedback extended to staff, with one telling us, they were scared to speak up in case they were blamed for the issue they were raising.
- Staff were finding unexplained bruising on people with no evidence this was investigated by leaders to determine the cause.
- Staff weren’t managing medicines safely. One person, who can’t reach their medication on their own, told inspectors a staff member left before giving them their medication. They mentioned it to the same carer who returned for lunch, and they didn’t apologise or acknowledge and rectify the situation.
- Care plans also lacked information on whether people self-administered medicines or if staff were required to do this. For example, where people required prescribed topical creams, there were no medicine administration records in place for staff to document whether they had been applied or not.
- A person experienced a house fire after leaving a pan on the hob, but no specific risk assessment was completed afterward - suggesting lessons weren't being learned even after serious incidents.
- Risk assessments for health needs were missing, including for falls, diabetes, epilepsy, choking, moving and handling, constipation, malnutrition and dehydration.
- Staff were not given sufficient travel time between calls, resulting in rushed care and not staying for the full appointment duration.
- Multiple people reported staff not following infection control practices, with one saying equipment didn’t look very clean after medical procedures.
- Inspectors found instances where carers were undertaking care tasks they were not trained or assessed as competent to do, including managing feeding tubes (ways to give food, fluids and medicines directly into someone's stomach).
However, inspectors also found:
- Even in a service with significant problems, there were individual care workers who demonstrated positive attitudes and compassionate care.
- Inspectors saw staff chasing for referrals for one person to be reviewed by the continence care team. This shows at least one instance where staff were advocating for a resident to receive the specialised care services they needed.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the next few days.