Look Elsewhere for trustworthy care providers.
Home Instead Lewes provided domiciliary care for a highly vulnerable adult requiring continuous supervision.
During a commissioned visit intended to cover a live-in carer’s break, the care professional:
-Left the service user alone;
-Failed to conduct a handover;
-Did not notify family or the office;
-Left the property unsecured.
The care plan was subsequently amended to state that the service user must not be left alone. This amendment followed the incident.
The complaint outcome concluded that the matter did not meet safeguarding thresholds on the basis that there had been no explicit instruction that the service user could not be left alone. This position was taken despite clear evidence of 24-hour care requirements and dependency.
Two additional complaints concerning extended mobile phone use during paid visits and hygiene standards were categorised as “learning matters” and closed without identification of systemic failings.
A Subject Access Request submitted under Article 15 UK GDPR was initially refused despite provision of a registered Lasting Power of Attorney. Additional documentation was requested that is not required under UK GDPR or ICO guidance. The provider subsequently altered its position without clarifying the legal basis for the initial refusal.
Throughout the process, complaint handling relied primarily on staff explanation rather than independent analysis of risk, governance, and safeguarding thresholds.
The matter has been referred to the Care Quality Commission, the local safeguarding authority, and the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Families commissioning regulated care services are entitled to robust risk assessment, lawful governance, and transparent complaint handling. Our experience did not reflect those standards.
Read more