Care sector jobs – new appointments, promotions and vacancies
Care sector jobs – Care & Nursing Essentials magazine presents a round-up of new appointments, promotions and vacancies at care providers and within the wider social care sector. Darley Dale Apprentice wins Health & Care Hero Award November 2019 17-year-old Health & Social Care Apprentice, Nell Matthews, was recently presented with the prestigious Heath & Care Hero Award at the Darley Dale Community Awards. The award recognises her dedication and commitment to her role at Darley Dales’ Ivonbrook Care Home, celebrating her enthusiasm and excellence at work. Working towards her Health & Social Care Level 2, Nell has gone from strength to strength in the world of care, learning alongside the homes’ experienced carers how to provide the best care service possible. Nell attended the glittering award ceremony to accept her award, enjoying a night of much-deserved celebration. Nell commented on her achievement, saying: “I was really grateful to have been nominated for the award, let alone to have won it. “I didn’t always have the best time at school, but I’ve never let it hold me back. “With my apprenticeship, I’m learning while on the job – gaining valuable work experience all while working towards a well-recognised qualification. “Working in care is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. “For me, caring is about helping the residents maintain their dignity and independence. It can be emotionally draining at times but it’s still a great feeling to be able to help someone in need.” To learn more about our excellent Carers and the support and companionship they provide to help our residents enjoy later life, get in touch with a member of our team on 01629 735306. Canford Healthcare announces new appointment at Hampton Care Home October 2019 Canford Healthcare, a leading provider of nursing, residential and dementia care services in south west London, is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Trigg RMN as Home Manager of Hampton Care Home. Anne brings a wealth of valuable and very varied experience to the role. Not only is she a qualified chef, baker and butcher – courtesy of the Women’s Royal Air Force – but she is also a mental health trainer, university lecturer and psychiatric nurse who spent 15 years working with patients on a secure unit. Since moving over to elderly care, Anne has held a number of senior management posts for well-known companies including Caring Homes and Royal British Legion, where she oversaw several CQC outstanding ratings. One of her main priorities is to reinforce the home’s commitment to person-centred care, ensuring that residents are supported to live full and active lives, as far as possible. “As soon as people become elderly others try to stop them from doing things they’ve always done. They are people with wisdom, not children,” she says. “Why should they not do what they enjoy, simply because they live in a care home? Our role is to protect them, not take away their choice.” Anne is already enjoying working with her new team. “Every day our dedicated and highly skilled staff endeavor to deliver the best care to residents. But we won’t rest on our laurels because we can always be better at what we do!” Caron Sanders-Crook, Operations Manager says: “We are delighted to welcome Anne as the new manager of Hampton Care Home. We believe that her particular set of knowledge, skills and experience, together with her person-centred approach to residents, add up to a formidable combination that will take Hampton from strength to strength.” Anne is ably assisted by recently promoted Mobin Jacob Philip, the home’s former clinical lead, as well as the rest of the Hampton team. Chief Nurse appointed to drive quality governance and clinical compliance procedures September 2019 Florence, the recruitment marketplace connecting nursing and care home providers with qualified professionals to fill temporary shifts, today announces it has appointed Fiona Millington to the newly created position of Chief Nurse. In her new role, Fiona will lead clinical governance systems and processes across the organisation. She will be working closely with the management team to develop frameworks and policies that support quality, compliance and safety for all RNs and carers engaged by Florence and the residents they support. With over thirty years of nursing experience, Fiona began her career in nursing as a registered nurse in Bristol where she completed her training. She has subsequently enjoyed a varied and successful nursing and academic career, having previously held the position of Associate Chief Nurse at the University Hospital North Midlands and lectured at Keele University on nursing theory and practice. Fiona has a passion for looking after older people and during her role as Matron at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, she helped to launch a Frail Elderly Assessment Unit – an older person’s alternative to A&E. This model, now in its tenth year, was believed to be the first of its kind and has gone on to be adopted up and down the country. Fiona said, “Nursing is a privileged role, supporting people and their loved ones during times when they need it most. It requires kindness, compassion and clinical expertise, factors that all contribute to delivering quality patient care and the effective management of the clinical environment including nursing and residential care home settings. “I was attracted to Florence because it offers me the opportunity to bring my experience and passion for governance to a growing business and nursing network. The issue of temporary staffing and recruitment in the social care sector needs to be addressed and I look forward to being part of the solution, helping with the development of a more flexible workforce, which is effective and efficient.” Charles Armitage, Co-founder and CEO at Florence, said: “I am delighted to welcome Fiona to Florence as we expand our team in order to support our planned growth trajectory. She brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of governance and compliance leadership. I have no doubt that she will make
What’s stopping millennials from taking up social care roles?
Social Care Alba, a leading care and support provider in Edinburgh, has announced a steep decline (62%) in the number of millennial candidates – aged between 18-25 – applying for roles in domiciliary care. Statistics verified by Novacare, have shown that for the same quarter (April – June) in 2018, 40% of all applications made were by millennials, however in 2019 this has dropped to just 15%. Founder of Social Care Alba comments, “We believe that the reduction of younger candidates applying for a job in domiciliary care is a great part down to lack of awareness. This type of care is particularly invisible to the younger generation as I suppose it’s not something that we think about so much as a young person. “As a leading care and support provider, focusing on innovation, technology and new approaches to care that will allow us and our employees do a better job, is vital. Through a strong drive to innovate we are also really hoping to engage with younger demographics and help bring this group into the sector.” Communication is key in social care recruitment Social Care Alba endeavour to make themselves clearly visible to the younger generations by communicating with them as much as possible, and making them aware of how rewarding and beneficial a career in care can be. They will be exhibiting at the Part-Time Work Fair, organised by Napier University, taking place on 1 November 2019. Nataly Wilson continues: “Care at homework also lends itself very well to those with younger families as hours can be very flexible and job roles can be part-time, allowing candidates to have a good work-life balance whilst earning money and doing something that is very rewarding.” Social Care Alba was established to provide support to people living in their own home. The care and support is based upon core values underpinned by the Health & Social Care Standards. Their vision is one of person-centred support, which incorporates values of dignity and respect, privacy and inclusion, choice and realising potential – as well as safety, equality and diversity. They are continuously looking to the future, planning ahead and anticipating future demands, thus allowing them to recruit, train and plan services in advance with the support and inclusion of staff. For more information visit social-care.org
Brexit recruitment project to support Scotland’s care providers
Service and solution provider for the care industry Novacare has launched a project to support care providers with the recruitment and retention of staff – in preparation for both Brexit and the festive season. The overall aim of the project, which has been approved for funding through Scottish Enterprise, is to identify and address workforce issues in light of the ever-changing EU/Brexit environment. The consulting program has been built specifically for the social care sector as a direct response to industry demand as research showed that 80% of care companies are concerned about how Britain’s exit from the EU (Brexit) will affect their workforce. 100% of those who raised this concern agreed that consulting for recruitment and retention would help them to mitigate some of the risks of Brexit. Recruitment and retention in care: act now Stephen Wilson, CEO and Co-Founder of Novacare comments: “Undoubtedly there is set to be a myriad of issues around recruitment and retention of EU employers from the impending Brexit date of Oct 31st, which is why it’s so important that businesses act now, and ensure that they are fully prepared for everything. “Our consultation project will assist care companies with attracting and sourcing higher volumes of staff, in preparation for a reduction to the usual application volumes which is anticipated to be caused by Brexit and improving the retention of existing staff which will in turn help to mitigate the risks of excessive staff leaving caused by Brexit. “We are already in touch with a number of local authorities across Scotland and we are working with them and supporting them to share the news of this project in their respective regions.” Novacare was founded by care industry experts with the aim of tackling some of the largest issues within health and social care. Ranging from consulting to software development, their solutions are tailor-made specifically for the needs of the care sector. The consultation project, approved for funding through Scottish Enterprise is available to all Scotland-based care providers and various grants are available which cover the majority (if not all) of the cost. Stephen Wilson concludes, “Businesses have a responsibility to understand all of their options and if the pool of staff have diminished already due to Brexit concerns, then it’s imperative that we support the industry by informing them around what processes need to be put into place to deal with staff recruitment and retention effectively.” Find out more at Novacare.
Mental Health and Dementia Facilities Forum 2019
Taking place on 14-15 November at Whittlebury Park, Northampton, the Mental Health & Dementia Facilities Forum is the ideal platform to hear from experts, explore suppliers, network with your fellow healthcare professionals. It has been specifically developed to help you to fund, deliver and manage the estates and facilities in this vital and diverse sector. The provision of mental health and dementia facilities is set to undergo one of the biggest transformations in recent history with the Government’s pledge to invest £3.9bn to accelerate the NHS estate. This injection of funds will result in around 2 million more people who suffer from anxiety, depression or other problems receiving much-needed help. Building the right facilities is essential to help in the treatment and wellbeing of the many challenges that dementia, mental health, and other related medical conditions provide. “Why design matters – getting it right both inside and out” is the theme for this year’s seminars and we will hear from the following speakers as they share best practice: • Matthew Balaam, Partner, Oxford Architects – Broadmoor Hospital’s redevelopment • Dr Anke Jakob, Research Fellow, Design School, Kingston University – Research findings on positive impact of multi-sensory environments • Phil Ross, Director, DIMHN – Better product decisions for those designing and building mental health facilities • Katharine Lazenby, Mental Health Trainer, Peabody Housing Association – Healing environments: a service user perspective on the factors that truly support recovery • Jeremy Parker, Director, Fira Landscapes – The value of the external environment towards good mental health • Andrew Kingston, Recovery Service Manager, Camden & Islington NHS FT – Landscapes for dementia The format is one-and-a-half days packed with seminars, tailored one to one business meetings, networking and an extensive social programme. A format that has proven to create communities that share knowledge, extend networks and do business better. Feedback Quotes from past delegates: Would certainly recommend attending this amazing event – thoroughly enjoyable and excellent networking opportunities. Will be attending next year. Northwest Boroughs Healthcare NHS FT A well organised and informative event. The venue was ideal, the meetings were very high quality and excellent speakers’ sessions. I cam back with many good products and an excellent network Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar Excellent networking opportunities and a great forum to learn about the latest innovation and leading-edge products available in the ever-changing health sector. Our industry is all about people and mhdf is all about people. Summers Inman See mhdf-forum.co.uk for more information.
Brexit – a perfect storm for social care
Stephen Wilson, CEO and Co-Founder of recruitment platform Novacare, discusses how Brexit will add to an already critical situation within the social care sector – and why women should be better recognised for their role within the care industry. The Office for National Statistics reports female unemployment fell this year to 3.7% the lowest since records began in 1971. Unsurprising when women account for the vast majority of the 1.75 million people who work in Social Care across the UK. As a sector social care contributes £38.5 billion to the economy in England alone. A figure which continues to rise as the size of the population over 65 requiring support grows. Yet it is a sector with over 110,000 care vacancies, and a turnover of more than 390,000 (30.7%) per year. This crisis in recruiting impacts those waiting to be discharged from hospital and those at home awaiting a care package. So how will Brexit add to an already critical situation within social care? The Department of Health itself estimates that there could be 28,000 fewer workers in the social care sector in England five years after leaving the EU. It also warns that this could have a knock-on effect on women’s participation in the workforce as they move out of paid employment to take on informal care roles. The result of this would be hundreds of thousands of hours’ worth of lost earnings, mainly for women. Given over 104,000 EU nationals and 129,000 non-EU nationals work within the sector, we can’t be complaisant about the impact Brexit and a points-based immigration policy will have. With the UK government’s announcement on 19 August that European Union (EU) “free movement” rules will end immediately if there is a ‘No-Deal’ Brexit on 31 October 2019, new immigration restrictions become more likely. The immediate impact for employers would include: The risk to the social care sector is that visas may only apply to skilled workers with a salary in excess of £30,000. The average salary for a full-time social care worker in England is £9.10 per hour, less than £19,000 per annum. Currently, the most needed group of workers would fall outside of the proposed immigration salary threshold. All of these factors build up into the perfect storm for recruitment into the social care workforce. Conclusion Gender shouldn’t be a factor when it comes to employment, however social care remains predominately delivered by women. This traditionally low paid sector deserves better recognition and reward for the work its staff do. They improve the quality of peoples’ lives day in, day out. Early morning, late at night, 365 days a year in all weather, social care staff make sure the most vulnerable in society are safe. Isn’t it time we worked together to improve their lives?
Social care sector urged to back recruitment campaign
A recruitment campaign run by the Department of Health and Social Care is due to launch in a second phase after an overwhelming response from applicants earlier this year. People working in the adult social care sector are being urged by the Minister for Care to back the campaign –the first phase of which generated a 14% uplift in clicks on the ‘apply’ button for care roles on DWP Find a Job and 97% more searches for jobs containing ‘care’ or ‘care worker’. The next phase of the campaign will run from autumn 2019 to April 2020 with the Department calling for support from providers from across the adult social care sector to advertise vacancies through DWP Find a Job and share success stories. Minister for Care, Caroline Dinenage, said: “The social care sector is crying out for talented care workers with the right values. We’ve seen from the campaign already that there are the right people out there but there is still a huge demand and we must reach out to more people to show them that careers in adult social care can be varied, rewarding and flexible. I’m calling on the social care sector to rally together and lend us their support again to bring to life the true rewards of caring and showcase the qualities needed to do the vast range of diverse jobs in care.” Building on the success of the first phase which ran from February to April 2019, the campaign will continue to encourage and inspire people to consider and apply for jobs in adult social care by bringing to life the mutual reward for both those working in care and those they support, as well as showcasing the diversity of roles in the sector. Providers are being urged to send in case studies of those working in the sector and continue to advertise vacancies both on DWP Find a Job and on local jobs boards. A proven increase in applications for social care roles The campaign promises to make a real difference to providers. One in four (26%) care employers surveyed after the first phase saw an increase in either enquiries, applications, interviews or vacancies filled. By supporting the campaign and helping to bring to life the range of roles available, care providers stand to gain from increased quantity and quality of applicants for their own vacancies. Kicking off with an updated advertising creative that captures both the diversity and reality of working in the care sector, the next phase of the campaign will be promoted across outdoor posters, online TV adverts, radio, social media and digital channels, as well as PR and partnerships activity. This will include two big bursts of activity –one in the autumn and another in January – underpinned by a constant drumbeat throughout the year. An updated campaign toolkit and suite of materials free to download from the website will also be available for care providers to use. The first PR activity burst in the autumn will showcase the values and flexibility of working in care through recruitment events where those considering a career in care work, in particular those with existing caring responsibilities such as parents, will be invited to come for an interview with their children in tow. Two events will be held in London and Southampton, with care providers across the UK also encouraged to hold their own recruitment events – a toolkit to help them to do this will be available. The second burst will build on people’s desire for change and self-improvement in the New Year by showcasing how a new career in care could offer professional growth and development as well as more fulfilment. Beyond these bursts, the campaign will put a spotlight on all the types of care roles available in the sector. This will include a focus on mental health and complex needs, domiciliary care, rural care opportunities, individual employers and personal assistants, shared lives schemes and supporting people with learning disabilities. Skills for Care Interim CEO Andy Tilden said: “We fully support DHSC’s adult social care recruitment campaign, and we want every care provider to get involved as closely as they can supporting these critical efforts to find workers with the right values to take on jobs that offer huge professional and personal rewards. The upcoming PR recruitment events offers a great opportunity to speak to potential employees, showing them the flexibility and pride offered by starting a career in our growing sector, so we are confident providers will jump at the chance to get involved.” Ria Lyon, HR Co Ordinator, from Warrington said of the first phase: “At Making Space we have always used the Find a Job Government website to advertise all our vacancies but have never received many applications. Since the recruitment campaign we have definitely seen an increase through this site and our own website.” Claire, Support Worker at Agincare, who was photographed for some of the adverts in the 2018/19 campaign: “When I originally found out I was going to be taking part in the campaign, I was so excited to be sharing the amazing job I do. Unfortunately, people don’t see all of what is involved in being a carer so just sharing a small part is just amazing.” Can you help boost social care recruitment campaign? If you are a care provider and would like to support the recruitment campaign by sharing case studies, please contact everydayisdifferent@dhsc.gov.uk. Over the coming months the DHSC team will also be sharing activity plans and engaging directly with specific members of the sector to help them best showcase the variety of roles in the care industry. See the social care recruitment campaign website at everydayisdifferent.com and the Facebook page at facebook.com/everydayisdifferent
Paying for the time of care workers fairly
By Christian Brøndum, CEO of staffing software provider Planday In July of 2018, transformative legislation was enacted that would change the professional lives of care workers. The Court of Appeal overturned employment tribunal rulings that had meant care workers on ‘sleep-in’ shifts were entitled to minimum wage for each hour they were at work, effectively halving the workers salaries and the salaries. Charities and care providers stand to profit from the change, avoiding an estimated £400m back-pay bill, but it has left many of the UK’s essential care workers out of pocket. What does it mean for care workers? Lancashire County Council will be the first of the country’s local councils to react to the Court of Appeal’s ruling. The council’s current arrangements mean that shift workers are paid an average of £67 per shift. Following council decisions made in mid-June, those workers are due to earn an average of £45 per shift. These salary cuts are expected to save the council £7 million a year but they offer no further security to shift workers. At the end of 2018, the care sector’s staff turnover rate stood at 30.7%, climbing by 7.6% since 2013. Employers have been struggling to find, recruit, and retain people with the necessary skills for working in the sector. These can include required and essential skills such as conflict resolution and physical intervention training, but also equally important skills such as teamwork, empathy, and communication. In reflection of the hard work done by the care sector’s workforce and in face of legislation that makes it increasingly difficult for them to work, employers have an obligation to take measures to make their lives easier. Care providers can offer employees more control over their working lives, and in turn encourage them to remain working with them. Taking back control With the care sector financially stretched as it is, providers, charities, and other kinds of employer will need to take other steps to improve the lives of their employees. Encouraging and enabling flexibility in their timetables and fostering high levels of communication between their team members and their managers are management decisions that can easily and positively impact the lives of workers, creating a workplace where workers have a much higher level of control over their time. An increase in flexibility of this kind will discourage residential care workers from opting to work for agencies instead, removing a key factor of employee attrition. Improved communication structures also ensure that employees’ pastoral needs are met in the workplace and additionally allows them more oversight and more say in their schedule, resulting in greater knowledge of how much they stand to earn. Embracing innovation With this in mind, technology can have a transformative effect on the way care homes manage their staff. Cloud-based software has been shown to enable businesses across all sectors to provide online and mobile platforms which place more control in the hands of the employee. By providing permanent workers with an open platform which can be accessed on the go, employees can more easily communicate with each other, enabling easier swapping of shifts as well as other features of a flexible workplace. This can result in greater staff retention and higher employee satisfaction. Efficiently managing employees’ rotas not only helps to ensure they are not working overtime without being paid, it also means that their pay is recorded correctly and that mistakes can be avoided. Whilst for a long time, the care sector has invested in technology that takes care of patients, it’s time for employers to invest in technology that takes care of employees. Although Lancashire County Council’s cost-saving realisation of the Court of Appeal’s ruling will indubitably save money, care homes should look to other methods with a more positive effect on employees as a first measure.
Hiring temporary contractors – understanding tax rules IR35
Are you aware of the recent change in law regarding temporary contractors? Here the team at Lawspeed, the UK’s leading Law Consultancy dedicated to the recruitment industry, discuss the new tax rules… Some of you will have heard recently about new tax rules known as IR35 relating to the use of temporary contractors, and due to apply in April 2020. Under current proposals businesses with a turnover of less than £10m, a balance sheet of £5m or fewer than 50 employees (excluded businesses) need not be concerned, but the rules should be noted by all other businesses that hire contractors. IR35 is the name given to an Inland Revenue notice (Inland Revenue number 35) which explains obligations on contractors to pay tax in a different way whenever the contractor provides services through a third party, usually a personal service company (PSC). These obligations have existed since 2000. If the rules apply, the contractor has been required to pay employment taxes and NICs on the whole of the income it receives from a posting or assignment, with a top slice allowance of 5%. As this means that the individual receives a net amount far less than if normal company tax rules apply, most temporary contractors have worked hard to avoid application of the rules, and HMRC believes that there has been serial tax avoidance in this area. To address this, in 2017 HMRC changed the rules where a contractor is hired by a public authority, and it now plans to extend those changes to the private sector, so affecting all businesses except the smallest companies. So when do the rules apply? They do not apply to self-employed individuals who are not operating through a PSC (there is a misconception around this!). Because of a fear of employment rights claims and also the desire of the hired individual to maximise net returns, it has become common practice to engage locums and temporary support individuals via their own PSCs. It is these arrangements that the rules attack. What do the rules require? Where the working arrangements are such that, if there were no PSC, the individual would be regarded for tax purposes as employed, someone has to account for employed levels of tax and NICs on invoiced sums for work done/time spent. This also means that someone has to make a decision as to whether they apply. The ‘someone’ used to be the contractor, but is now switching to the hirer or other party who pays the contractor, for example an employment business that supplies the contractor to you. This party is known as the Fee Payer, who is now also to be responsible for payment of PAYE and NICs wherever the rules apply. The decision – ‘employed’ or not Assessing employment status is notoriously hard except in the most obvious of circumstances. There has been a plethora of cases over the last few decades which have always been about unclear arrangements, not the obvious ones. Much has been written about mutuality of obligation, direction, supervision, control and so on, and to address these intensely legal and argued over elements would mean this article would end up the size of a book! However in terms of key considerations, a business to business arrangement for a defined project as agreed at the outset is an excellent start. The tax and other ramifications Where the status decision is ‘employed’, you, as the hirer (or a third party, e.g. an agency if involved), are the Fee Payer and have to pay contractor invoices in a specific way. Because HMRC regards the arrangement as deemed employment, the invoice is treated as the salary of the individual. This means that the whole of the invoiced sum, excluding VAT, allowed expenses and cost of materials, must be treated as employment income subject to normal PAYE and NIC deductions. The company invoice must be paid net of PAYE and NICs and the Fee Payer must account to HMRC for the PAYE and employee and employer NICs on the invoiced sum. The result – a cost hike for you of some 13.8%, increased payroll admin for what was previously a simple supplier payment, and a lower net income for the contractor. It’s not surprising therefore that some trade associations are warning that there may be a drop in available locums and contractors. What can you do regarding temporary contractors? First, recognise that individuals who put themselves out to work temporarily will still be around. Whilst some may start to look for regular employment, finding it may be easier said than done! Also not everyone is determined to minimise tax payments as before. Some may be happy to work through agencies on their payroll or sign up to temporary employment contracts with you. If the engagement is for a period of time rather than specific tasks, and the contractor still wishes to operate through a PSC you can either accept the cost of employer NICs or negotiate a new rate. The contractor could work for you as self-employed without any PSC involvement, and you could keep the same rate of pay; however in this case you run the risk that HMRC (as above), or indeed the contractor, could argue that the arrangement is actually one of employment. Normal Employment Tribunal limitations apply to claims by the contractor. For those you assess as not ‘deemed’ employees it is critical that the contract you use is properly formulated and that the specified work to be undertaken is fully and properly described. The actual working arrangements throughout the assignment should be in line with the contract, so discuss with line managers to ensure there is no conflict. You should also keep a note of how and why you concluded there is no deemed employment in case HMRC investigates as the risk of an investigation exists for up to 6 years after the event. Conclusion This is a proposed invasive new method of taxing contractors that will affect hirers and those in a worker supply chain.
CQC: ‘3 rehab facilities in same London road are Inadequate’
Local people in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea will be dismayed to learn that three locations, all run by the same provider in Kendrick Mews, have been rated Inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). All the drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities, run by PROMIS Clinics, have been placed into special measures following inspections in May 2019. No 11 Kendrick Mews is a three-bedded unit based in a mews house. It is run by PROMIS clinics, which has two other services on the same street at No 12 and No 4. While the three are registered separately, they operate as one service with the same manager and the same staff covering the three locations. CQC completed the inspection which reviewed the three registered locations. Fire protection was not adequate Clients in the three services use the same communal areas in No 11, including a kitchen and a living room. The clinic room for the three services is in No 11. There are some therapy rooms in No 12, which are used by clients across the services. The premises were not being properly protected from the risk of fire. The service provides medically monitored alcohol and drug rehabilitation services including a psychological therapy programme. CQC inspectors were concerned that the provider had not full taken account of a CQC briefing (supported by Public Health England) on the quality and safety of detoxification in residential substance misuse services. This was circulated to providers of all relevant services in 2017. The service did not provide safe care for clients undergoing alcohol detoxification. The provider accepted clients for alcohol detoxification who had a history of alcohol withdrawal seizures and delirium tremens. This carried a level of medical risk that was not fully assessed prior to admission. Clients did not have a comprehensive assessment before commencing alcohol detoxification treatment. There was no record that clients had a physical examination, including for clients with a reported physical health problem. This included clients with possible or actual liver disease. Clients’ medical and mental health history was not always obtained from other healthcare professionals prior to detoxification treatment. Lack of training for alcohol detoxification treatment One of the GPs prescribing for clients undergoing alcohol detoxification treatment had not had any specific training in treatment for substance misuse. However, at CQC’s last inspection, inspectors identified that physical health monitoring equipment had not been regularly serviced and staff were not aware of their duty of candour. At this inspection, these matters had been resolved. People were cared for in a clean and comfortable environment and there were enough staff to meet the needs of the client group. Clients were supported and treated with dignity and respect and were involved as partners in their care. Clients were supported to understand and manage their care and treatment. The service offered family interventions and post discharge support groups. At number 4 Kendrick Mews there were no clients in residence, but inspectors rated both safe and well-led categories as Inadequate. CQC could not gather sufficient evidence to answer the remaining key category questions. Dr Paul Lelliott, Deputy Chief Inspector at the CQC (and lead for mental health) said: “We have placed all three PROMIS Clinics in Kendrick Mews into special measures. “I am placing the three services into special measures due to their failure to follow best practice for the safe detoxification of clients withdrawing from alcohol, their failure to protect their premises from the risk of fire and the lack of management oversight of safety and quality. “The service will be kept under review and, if needed, we will take further enforcement action. We will conduct another inspection within six months, and if there is not enough improvement we will move to close the service.” Read the reports in full when they are published on CQC’s website at: No 11: cqc.org.uk/location/1-506886543 No 12: cqc.org.uk/location/1-507813693 No 4: cqc.org.uk/location/1-2673104638
