Blackpool care home 'put people at risk' by failing to background check staff

Park View Care Home on Lytham Road employed staff using the Disclosure and Barring Service ‘fast track’, which allowed them to start working before their full DBS certificate was received, a CQC inspection revealed.

Such certificates aim to ensure that carers are properly qualified.

A CQC inspector, who had been called in following a report of unsafe practices at the home, said: “Recruitment was not safe. Safe recruitment processes were not always followed to ensure staff employed were of suitable character.

“Suitable pre-employment checks had not always been carried out. We found checks including reviewing people’s employment history, reasons for leaving employment and conduct in post had not been made satisfactorily for six out of the eight staff we looked at.

“Risks around recruitment were not always suitably assessed and managed.

“The provider had applied for DBS checks for all eight staff. However, they had not assessed the risk of staff commencing employment before their full DBS certificate had been received. This placed people at risk of receiving care from people who were not of suitable character.

“The provider had not kept adequate records in relation to recruitment, as required by law.”

The home was found to have breached Regulation 19, fit and proper persons employed, of the Health and Social Care Act.

A service rating was not issued, as the inspection only looked at the home with specific regards to the concerns raised about unsafe employment.

The inspector said: “Following the inspection, we spoke with the registered manager again to corroborate our findings. We also wrote to the provider to explain we had concerns about how staff had been recruited and asked them how they planned to ensure staff were recruited safely in future, to which we received a prompt response.”

The home will continue to be monitored by the CQC until a follow-up inspection is carried out.

The service provider must also give a report to the CQC detailing what actions will be carried out to ensure that all regulations are strictly followed.