Watchdog says Dunstable home care company ‘requires improvement’ after report

A Dunstable home care company has been told it needs to do better after a watchdog inspection.

Woburn Care has been deemed as ‘requiring improvement’ after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected its services.

A CQC report published earlier this month found that the Dunstable-based home care company needs to improve its safety and management after an inspection in March – but was rated ‘good’ for being caring.

The report stated that since the last manager left in December 2022, some basic quality assurance checks and quality monitoring had been carried out. Care worker supervision and training also had not taken place.

But the inspector mentioned that during the inspection, Woburn Care had recruited a new manager and initial plans had been made to address the shortfalls raised.

And the inspector found that the service was caring towards the people in its care and people said they felt safe when supported by Woburn Care. The report stated: "People and relatives praised the kind and caring nature of the care workers.”

However, it went on to say staff shortages were to blame for some people not receiving care when they needed it – though relatives were on hand so people were not left without support.

The report said workers did not get effective or regular training from Woburn Care and there was no system in place to spread learning through the staff to improve practice and safety. It said: "We found shortfalls in the staff training provision and staff supervision. This meant the provider could not be assured care workers had the necessary skills and experience to provide people with safe, effective and person-centred care and support.”

One care worker said: "The only training we ever got was online training which wasn't suitable as it was talking about care homes not out in the community." Another added: "The training is just watching a video and answering multiple-choice questions.”

Despite this, people receiving care said that they felt safe and the use of PPE and the administration of medicines were both good

The report revealed care workers gave a mixed response when asked if they would recommend Woburn Care.

Woburn Care has not responded to a request for comment.