Archived: Caremark (Cheshire South East)

We spoke with three services users, the Registered Manager, Nominated Individual, and four staff members during the course of this inspection. We reviewed three care plans including their medication documentation. At the time of the inspection the service provided 1000 care hours in locations such as, Sandbach, Crewe, Leek and Congleton and employed 35 care staff.

People we met and spoke with told us: "We have the same carers who visit every time, they are a good team." Another person said: "Staff are very good and kind and they do a good job of looking after my medication with me." One person described how staff managed their medications with them and their family, which included the logistics of getting their medication delivered to their home, storing it correctly and appropriate recording in the medication administration record sheets at their home.

We found that staff only had a basic understanding but not a full appreciation of the issues around people's capacity to make decisions. That staff had not received training in the Mental Capacity Act (2005) or Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards which was required.

We found that people who use the service were not fully protected against the risk associated with the unsafe management of medicines.

We spoke with the registered manager during our visit.

We did not speak with people about the way their medicines were handled as people had been spoken with during a previous inspection visit in July.

During this inspection we spoke to six members of staff, twelve people who used the service and four family members, the trainer, manager and provider. All the people who used the service we spoke with were complementary about the staff. One person said: 'They are good carers, they arrive in uniform with ID badges and they are respectful.' Another person who used the service said: "I get good care and support." A relative said: "The service had not been without its ups and downs but not in the care delivery, currently I've no concerns at all. In fact I'd say it's a good service.' Some people told us they had complained about the service in the past and had found the service responsive to their complaints and comments.

People who used the service, relatives and the staff we spoke with told us that care plans were available in people's homes to support staff to provide appropriate care.

We spoke with the provider and the registered manager during our visit.

We did not speak with people about the way their medicines were handled as people had been spoken with during a previous inspection visit in February.

Two of the three people we met told us they were happy with the service they now received but that they had been somewhat disappointed with the service until recently. People who used the service had reported missed or late calls. The third person told us: 'The problem with call times and staff changes are not to do with the care staff; it's the staff in the office." However, the people we spoke with including relatives did not wish to raise any complaints as they felt these issues were being or had now been addressed. The provider and manager had been working closely with the Local Authority to identify, monitor and improve the quality of the services people who used Caremark Cheshire South East received.

We found that the provider and manager were monitoring call times and that staff understood their responsibilities in appropriately reporting missed or late calls to the office staff. One person who used the service told us: 'I'd give it ten out of ten now,' and their relative said: 'I'd say eight out of ten because there is always room for improvement, but I am very happy with the care and the carers.'