Archived: Karemill Homecare Ltd

Karemill Homecare Limited is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes or flats. The service provides support to people over and under the age of 65, people living with dementia, people living with a physical disability and people living with a sensory impairment.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were six people using the service, of which two people were being supported with the regulated activity of personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People using the service were unavailable to provide us feedback about the care and support they received. We spoke with their family members who were able to provide us with their experience of the care provided.

People had care plans in place. However, these did not include information advising of people’s likes, dislikes, preferences or health and medical history. Information was not recorded clearly to guide staff to provide care and support which was person centred. Risk assessments were limited in their detail and did not provide clear information to direct staff to support people safely.

The quality assurance system was not being used to effectively identify where improvements were required to make change and support development of the service.

Relatives spoke positively about the care provided. Relatives told us the staff team were familiar and made them feel safe. One relative said, “Knowing the [staff] means we can trust them.” Another relative said, “We were initially anxious with receiving care but now rely on the [staff] and the support provided.”

An induction process was in place to support newly recruited staff and prepare them for their role. Staff had received training to provide them the skills and knowledge required for their role. Staff felt supported by the registered manager.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Relatives told us the [staff] were respectful in their work and sought permission before providing care and support.

Relatives told us they found the registered manager to be approachable and felt confident they would address any concerns should these arise. Relatives told us the staff were friendly and caring.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 6 April 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to the care planning and governance of the service.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

This was an ‘inspection using remote technology’. This means we did not visit the office location and instead used technology such as electronic file sharing to gather information, and video and phone calls to engage with people using the service as part of this performance review and assessment.