AN MP has called for better regulation of social care after a firm contracted by City of York Council to provide care was slammed by regulators and then struck off by Companies House.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell said she began investigating Independent Home Living (IHL) - a domiciliary care service providing support to people with needs in their own homes - following alleged complaints that staff had failed to pay care visits and the firm had failed to pay staff.

She said that after she raised her concerns with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), it had inspected the company, trading under the name ‘A New Angle Ltd’ and said it “required improvement”.

In its report, the CQC said IHL ‘failed to properly assess, monitor and mitigate risks to the service, staff and people’ and said staff had not received training for Covid-19 to support their understanding of safe practice.

It also said staff, relatives and stakeholders had lost faith in the provider due to persistent concerns about operational issues. It said: “Relatives were concerned about the high turnover of staff and recent lack of communication from the provider.”

It also found that “where staff raised concerns with the provider, these were not acknowledged or addressed.”

However, the report said staff had a good understanding of safeguarding practices and knew what action to take to ensure people were safe and protected from harm and abuse, and people felt the service was safe.

Ms Maskell said the provider had now been struck off by Companies House but she was asking serious questions of the council as to why it failed to undertake proper scrutiny of this service in the first place.

“It is evident that there are loopholes throughout the system, and worse, that regulators do not talk to one another,” she said. “Regulators are meant to keep the public safe, but that lack of co-ordination between bodies such as HMRC, the CQC, Companies House and even the local authority, has sadly not provided the protection that should be available.

“I am grateful that the CQC acted on my concerns and inspected IHL, but questions must be asked as to why they were licensed in the first place.

“Likewise, City of York Council withdrew their service once I highlighted the serious issues I had unveiled with this care company, but again, questions must be asked as to why they failed to undertake the checks I did, putting residents at risk.”

Michael Melvin, director of safeguarding people, said the council had been closely monitoring the service and working with the provider when, in April 2021, it decided to source alternative care and support for customers whose care with IHL was commissioned by it.

“This decision was made following the continued non-payment of staff wages at the York branch, and concerns being raised by customers about issues with inconsistent service following a number of staff leaving.

“As is required by our internal processes, the relevant due diligence and checks were completed prior to this provider entering into an agreement with the council.” No one from IHL was available for comment.