A supported housing provider has been told to improve by the CQC after safety concerns. 

The health and social care watchdog Care Quality Commission inspected Chiltern Support and Housing on January 30 and February 3 2023.

The service is run by Chiltern Support and Housing Ltd based at 20 Benjamin Road in High Wycombe.

The provider supports eight properties in Buckinghamshire and Barnet and Bexley in north London. Each site supports between one to nine people. 

Following the inspection, the service was rated ‘requires improvement’ overall.

Safety of the service was rated ‘inadequate’, and the quality of leadership was ‘requires improvement’.

However, effectiveness, level of care and responsiveness categories received a ‘good’ rating from the inspector.

The inspector identified several safety issues which meant the provider was in breach of health and social care regulations.

The report said: “People were at risk of contracting infections as the service was not adequately cleaned.”

The most recent legionella risk assessment for one of the settings had also identified issues with cleanliness in a bathroom, a toilet and the laundry, the report noted.

“The service had failed to operate effective systems to identify, investigate and appropriately respond to allegations of abuse,” the CQC said. This is a breach of health and social care regulations.

One relative told the inspector they had raised concerns about alleged unexplained injuries in June last year, but the feedback from the registered manager to the CQC “did not demonstrate a robust investigation had taken place.”

Another staff member who was subject to an investigation in relation to alleged financial abuse remained involved in people's financial transactions in December last year and in January 2023. 

One registered manager “did not understand their responsibility to report safeguarding concerns to the local authority where alleged abuse had taken place,” the inspector said.

However, the service was responsive the inspector’s feedback, saying additional safeguarding training was being booked, the report noted.

Medicines and medicine records were not managed properly. For example, the inspector was not assured one person’s antipsychotic medicine “had been given in line with prescription,” the report said.

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The provider did not “do all that was reasonably practical to mitigate risk,” the CQC found. For example, staff used their hand to check the temperature of hot water in relation to one person’s care.

The CQC observed: “Some people were at risk of weight loss.

“There was no registered manager oversight of one person’s epilepsy.”

People were at risk due to lack of fire safety management, the inspector found.

Although people had personal emergency evacuation plans in place, they did not contain sufficient information to enable people’s safe evacuation in an emergency.

Regular fire drills were not undertaken to “identify any difficulties in evacuating people.”

However, the service was responsive to the inspector’s feedback, and they found positive examples of risk management, including in relation to an adapted environment and staff support for a person with complex needs.

Director of Chiltern Support and Housing Ltd Byron Fundira said: “In February of 2023, we underwent a CQC inspection whose outcome was not as expected and we fell below our usual high standards. We have welcomed the feedback and are working tirelessly with all stakeholders (Barnet Council, Buckinghamshire council) and the people we support on urgent corrective actions following these findings.

“The safety of the people we support is paramount for us and all immediate safety issues identified have been rectified and there is a short to medium term plan to address the other safety concerns highlighted in the report in line with the principles of The Right Support, The Right Care and The Right Culture. The Covid-19 pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the care sector. Challenges faced include recruitment, retention and access to quality staff. To alleviate these challenges, we have been undergoing the process of international recruitment however it will take time to address the historical issues. We at all times remain committed to providing the best service to the people we support.”