A DOMICILIARY care agency that has service users across the South Lakes is appealing a 'requires improvement' Care Quality Commission report. 

Alcedo Care South Lakes, based in Kendal, provides personal and nursing care to people living in their own accommodation. 

The report gave an overall 'requires improvement' rating and said the service was not always safe and not always well-led. The report gave a 'good' rating for how effective, caring and responsive the service is. 

The inspectors said the care records seen on the first inspection did not provide a detailed plan for managing risks associated with equipment such as bed rails and wheelchairs. 

They also said: "People were put at risk of receiving medicines that were not effective. One person who regularly refused prescribed medicines including topical creams also had an out-of-date cream applied. The auditing systems over a three-month period had not identified this." 

However the report also praised the staff by featuring quotes from service users who felt safe in their care and that the carers are prompt and consistent, even visiting when there was bad snow. 

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The inspectors admit that they found 'no evidence' of people being harmed but said that Alcedo Care breached the Health and Social Care Act by not making sure that there were effective and robust systems in place to monitor risk and oversee the safe performance of the service.

"This placed people at risk of harm," the inspectors said. 

The managing director at Alcedo Care Group Andy Boardman said: "We are appealing the report which we wholly disagree with.”

Care providers can only request a rating review after the inspection report has been published. They must fill out an online form and submit the request within 15 working days of the report being published. 

The website states: "The only grounds (reasons) for requesting a rating review are that we have failed to follow our process for making ratings decisions."