Working at Orchard House

Staff sometimes start work without background checks or proof of ID, so the team includes people who havent been fully vetted.

on a number of occasions, staff had started into role without DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) or identification checks to ensure they were a fit and proper individual to work with people.

Training has serious gaps, like staff not knowing how to give seizure rescue meds or manage constipation risks even when records say they were trained.

Records we saw stated that staff had received training in epilepsy and use of rescue medication, but despite this some staff stated they had not and could not describe how they would administer this if needed.

Safety risks like poor infection control in the kitchen and delays getting painkillers at night make the job stressful and risky.

The kitchen was in a poor state of repair with degraded surfaces that could not be easily cleaned... support workers at the service were not trained to administer medicine and this was the responsibility of senior staff... at night.