A PERSONAL care provider based in Winnington has been told that it ‘requires improvement’ by Care Quality Commission inspectors.

Care Select has been downgraded since it was last visited by inspectors in October 2018, who at that time rated its services as good.

The service provides personal care to people living in their own homes, including help with personal hygiene and eating, and at the time of inspection, there were 42 people using the service.

But despite being rated good in the inspection areas of effectiveness and caring, the CQC says that changes must be made to improve the service’s safety, responsiveness and leadership.

In their report, inspectors said: “There were shortfalls in the leadership and management of the service which exposed people to the risk of harm.

“There was an audit system in place, but these quality checks had not been effective enough to fully identify and address concerns found on this inspection.

“Complaints were not always recognised and responded to. However, there was a good working relationship between people who used the service, their relatives and the staff.”

And it was members of care staff who received much praise by residents, relatives and inspectors, leading to the service being rated as ‘good’ for care.

“Relatives felt their family members were safe, receiving support from staff who knew them well,” the report goes on to say.

“People were supported by trained staff who provided a reliable, person-centred service.

“Staff were kind and respectful towards people and their families and people's privacy and dignity were upheld.

“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.”

CQC inspectors said that they will meet with the care provider to discuss how changes can be made to ensure its rating can improve to ‘at least good’.