A CARE firm in Chorley which only had one client has been slammed by a health watchdog.

Chorcare Ltd, which is set to close, was rated ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission after a recent inspection, which raised serious concerns about its leadership, staff training, recruitment processes and medication management.

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It also found an allegation of abuse, which had been reported by another agency in the last 12 months, was investigated by the council and police, but the company and its registered manager had failed to notify the CQC of the incident, as required.

There were no further details about this allegation, and no one at the firm was available for comment yesterday.

The inspector carried out the visit while the business was winding down and had just one remaining client.

He added: “Little understanding of safeguarding reporting requirements was demonstrated by the leadership of Chorcare Ltd.

“Robust recruitment processes were not in place and staff had been sent out to work with vulnerable people without appropriate documentation and criminal records checks in place.

“The registered manager informed us that staff had not received appropriate induction or on going training (and) confirmed that he did not audit or review the care plan or the dally records.”

The Long Meadows-based company was rated inadequate on four measures, but was described as ‘good’ for care, and the three staff were said to be ‘kind and compassionate’.

According to the CQC website, the registered manager of the firm is Karl Matthew Hitchen, while the responsible individual is John McCullagh.

Debbie Westhead, the deputy chief inspector of adult social care in the North, said: “We are aware that the provider has submitted an application to cancel their registration and this is currently being processed.

“In the meantime, while the service continues to operate we will monitor the situation closely to ensure that people are safe and receiving care that meets their needs.”