20 June 2016
During a routine inspection
Caremark (Leicester) is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people living in their own homes. The office is based in the city of Leicester and the service currently provides care and support to people living in Leicester and Leicestershire. At the time of our inspection there were 66 people using the service.
Caremark (Leicester) had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People felt safe with the care staff and the support they received. Care staff were confident to report any concerns about people's safety, health or welfare to the care manager or to the relevant external agencies.
People were involved in making decisions about their care and support needs and in the development of their care plan. Potential risks to people's health had been assessed and guidance was recorded in the care plans for staff to refer to. We found that some risk assessments lacked sufficient detail to give staff the guidance they needed to keep people safe. We raised this with the care manager who told us they would review all risk assessments to ensure they were fit for purpose.
There were sufficient numbers of care staff employed who had undergone a robust recruitment process before they worked unsupervised with people who used the service.
People were prompted to take their medicines where their plan of care had identified that the person required support. We found people's medicines were managed well.
Care staff had received induction and training that equipped them to support people safely. Training records were reflective of the training staff had completed. All staff were supported through unannounced spot checks and observations of practice. Staff received support through regular supervision.
People made decisions about their care and support needs. Care staff sought consent before they supported people and respected people's choices and decisions.
People's plans of care reflected the support they required and, where appropriate, social support which helped to ensure people received effective care.
Care staff supported some people with their meals and drinks in order that they maintained a balanced diet. People were happy with the support they received with meal preparation, cooking and shopping where required.
Care staff supported people to liaise with health care professionals if there were any concerns about their health.
People were happy with the support they received. People had regular care staff who they had developed positive relationships with. People were complimentary about the care staff and found them to be kind and caring. Care staff understood how to maintain people's privacy and dignity whilst respecting their choice of lifestyle and promoting their independence.
Care staff were knowledgeable about the needs of people and took account of their preferences such as times, cultural and diverse needs. Care staff arrived on time and stayed for the agreed length of time in order to ensure they were safe and their needs were met.
People were aware of how to raise concerns. They were confident that any concerns raised would be responded to by the management team.
The provider sought people and relatives views about the service regularly. People were happy with how the service was managed.
There were systems in place to assess and monitor the service, which included checks on care staff delivering care and review of people's care. People had regular home visits carried out by the management team who checked on their well-being and also monitored the care and support provided by staff.