ONE of Britain’s biggest care providers has denied that staff shortages resulted in a cleaner looking after vulnerable pensioners.

The allegation is made in a report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which says Agincare UK Ltd which has offices in Christchurch and New Milton, is failing to meet essential standards.

The report accuses the company of not employing enough staff and failing to ensure that they all receive ongoing training.

Pensioners are at risk of not having their needs met, according to CQC investigators.

Agincare, which looks after elderly people in their own homes, has been told to improve the service it provides or face possible enforcement action.

The CQC report says: “Concerns were raised by some people about the skills of staff who provided their care.

“An example given was that a member of staff had initially been employed to do cleaning duties but because of staffing problems was now providing care.

“People using the service commented that they thought the person had not received any training to equip them with skills to provide personal care.”

But the company has denied the claims, saying it does not employ cleaners.

An Agincare spokesman said: “All our staff are employed to provide personal care in people’s own homes and receive full induction training.

“They will provide domestic duties such as cleaning, where people need or want this support, but this is ancillary to their primary role.”

The CQC report was published following an inspection carried out earlier this year.

It says pensioners felt that some of the employees appeared to lack the skills and knowledge needed to maintain hygiene and prevent infections.

It also expresses concern about cancelled training sessions and the timing of care visits. “Some people had to go to bed earlier and get up later than they would choose to do,” says the report.

“Lengthy periods were elapsing between catheter bags being emptied, resulting in discomfort.”

An Agincare spokesman said: “The introduction of a new contract by Hampshire County Council, combined with the wider challenges the home care sector is facing, led to some disruption in local staffing.

“The exit of the long-term manager and other key staff caused further difficulties in staffing supply, which has unfortunately impacted on service delivery.

“Agincare is totally committed to rectifying the position. There is a new manager in place and staffing has been stabilised.”