An Edinburgh care service made errors in medication records for vulnerable clients and bosses 'never answer the phone', inspectors have found.
Almond Blossom Care received a poor inspection from the Care Inspectorate, being rated "weak" in all four categories of care.
Service users, their relatives, and staff all told inspectors about issues with communication, with one carer sharing: "Sometimes we will call the office in case of emergency [and] no one will pick up."
Located on Granton Road, Almond Blossom Care supplies care assistants to care homes, nursing homes, hospitals and independent living facilities to supplement staffing shortages.
A recent report rated the service as weak in leadership, staff team, supporting people's wellbeing, and in planning for care and support. Strengths identified were compromised by "significant weaknesses".
The report stated: "Medication records were not always accurately completed, and several errors had occurred, which could have impacted on people's health. There needed to be better understanding required from staff about the importance of when medication should be administered."
Inspectors also found that care plans often lacked "relevant information, were misleading or contradictory, specifically in relation to moving and handling people safely and any identified risks. This had the high potential to impact negatively on the wellbeing of people using the service."
Issues with leadership and communication were uncovered through interviews with staff and relatives at Almond Blossom. They described challenges getting in touch with management regarding emergencies and loved ones in care.
One carer told the Care Inspectorate: "The service needs to employ someone that will be stand by for on calls, sometimes we will call the office in case of emergency, no one will pick up and the whole work will be on Carers. Sometimes we need directions from the office on what to do."
A relative of a supported person said: "I have tried emailing Almond Blossom on several occasions, but never receive a response".
Another relative shared: "I have had to ring on call a couple of times and quite often they don't answer the phone and if I leave a message they don't call back. Thank goodness I have the carers numbers!"
The report further stated: "We therefore did not have confidence that robust systems and processes were being utilised consistently to support improvement within the service."
Strengths were also identified in the service, such as positive feedback from people and their relatives about the quality and consistency of the carers staffed at Almond Blossom, allowing for trusting relationships between service users and carers.
The report later stated that staff were "well-meaning in their actions and clearly wanted to take care of people".
Following the inspection, care service has been tasked with improving the recording and reporting of incidents and protection concerns. They are also meant to improve people's personal outcomes.
A complaint lodged against Almond Blossom Care regarding medication issues and inadequate healthcare was upheld by the Care Inspectorate in October 2024.
Almond Blossom Care has been approached for comment.
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