Peepal Care Ltd (19 019 828, report)

Category : Adult care services > Domiciliary care

Decision : Upheld

Decision date : 11 Nov 2021

Summary: Adverse Findings Notice issued because Peepal Care Ltd failed to provide the remedy recommended by the Ombudsman following an investigation. 

The Complaint

We investigated a complaint about the Provider’s homecare services provided to the complainant.

We found Peepal Care Limited failed to:

  • correctly vet a care worker it sent into the complainant’s home
  • make clear to a potential care worker, the care hours on offer, before sending a care worker into the complainant’s home
  • ensure its care workers had the skills and experience to carry out their role
  • ensure its care workers were adequately trained in manual handling and using specific hoisting equipment
  • maintain privacy by discussing the complainant with someone not related to the care provision, and repeating inappropriate comments to the complainant’s daughter
  • give adequate notice to end the care

These faults meant the complainant experienced poor quality care causing her significant distress. The very short notice the provider gave to end the service left complainant’s daughter having to
search for another care agency at short notice, also causing her distress.

Recommendations

We recommended Peepal Care Limited:

  • apologise to the complainant’s daughter and pay her £400 to acknowledge its failings, her time and trouble pursuing the complaint, and the distress caused from discussing the family with another company
  • reduce the outstanding invoice by half for failing to provide an expected level of service
  • show the Ombudsman it has put procedures in place to recruit and vet all care workers properly
  • ensure all care workers are properly trained before starting duties, or are supervised until training is complete
  • ensure care records are completed and stored in accordance with CQC regulations
  • undertake training on GDPR (data protection)

The Provider’s response

Peepal Care Limited does not wish to carry out our recommendations because:

  • • it believes it was unfairly treated during the investigation
  • • the late joint owner's dying wish was that no money be paid or actions undertaken
  • • it shows culpability to the family
  • • it would undermine its claim for recovering the full amount of the invoice from the family, and
  • • the family will try and make further claims against it

We are not satisfied with the actions of Peepal Care Limited, which leaves the injustice not put right for the complainant. We are satisfied that we treated them fairly throughout the investigation
and we do not accept the arguments it has put forward as to why it has not implemented our recommendations.

We will share this notice with the Care Quality Commission – the regulator for health and social care in England.

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