A care provider insists it has taken action to address problems raised in an inspection report.

Fitzpatrick Total Home Care, which has High Street offices in Halstead and Earls Colne, provides services including home visits and meal-time help in the Halstead area.

But the service failed to meet required standards in providing medicine safely and protecting patients from abuse.

The report ruled “the provider did not have appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines”.

Care manager Pat Boyd said: “With regard to the medication, that has been addressed but because the issue was found at the time it couldn’t be taken out of the report.”

Inspectors found that staff administered medicine given to them by family members without being certain of what the medicine was.

Mrs Boyd said: “They said we can’t always tell what families are putting in boxes, so we could be aiding and abetting family members.

“We have written to families to say we can only distribute medication in dosette boxes.”