Aark Health Limited Also known as Caremark Redbridge

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated Good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Staff were caring and kind when supporting people. A person commented, “They treat me with dignity and respect.” A relative told us, “They have a nice relationship with [person]. [Person] has built up trust with them, and I have confidence in what they do for her.”

Care plans included information on the importance of ensuring people’s privacy and dignity. Staff told us how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. A staff member told us, “When we support a person, we speak to them in a very respectful manner and be polite and we take care of their dignity by giving privacy as well as making sure we get consent before we support them. Before entering, we ring doorbell and we make sure privacy when supporting people with personal care.” A relative commented, “They are all very respectful. They always knock on (persons) door and always make sure that the door is closed when he is being showered and that sort of thing.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Care plans included detailed information on each person’s personal details, social and cultural needs and their religious beliefs and where possible staff were matched based on people’s preferences. A relative told us, “It really helps that (person) carers are from the same culture as hers, this has really helped. I honestly think that if they hadn’t, mum would have declined, they are able to make the (cultural food) she likes.”

Care plans also included a section on what a good and bad day looks like for a person and how staff should respond.

This meant staff had a good understanding of each person’s individual needs and preferences, which were reflected in the care and support provided.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Care plans included information on promoting independence and how staff could encourage this while meeting their care needs. A staff member commented, “Yes, people like to be independent and I will encourage this and ask how they would like to be supported for example if they can eat by themselves while I supervise.” A relative told us, “They try (encourage independence) and there have been some improvements. [Person] was dependent on the steady and couldn’t stand but he is now standing with a frame so that’s an improvement.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

The service communicated with people or their relatives and engaged them in discussions about people’s immediate needs. Staff reported that they would escalate any concerns to relevant health professionals if they identified a deterioration in a person’s health or wellbeing, including contacting emergency services when required.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us management supported them, and their wellbeing was positive because of this. Records showed supervisions were carried out regularly to ensure staff were supported and their wellbeing were discussed as part of this. A staff member told us, “[Care manager] is very good as manager. If we have any concerns, we can approach her or if we need any support, she is very supportive.”

A mental health and wellbeing meeting was carried out with staff members to check on their wellbeing and how they can be supported.

Staff told us they had access to a range of policies and procedures to guide them in their roles and to ensure people were cared for safely.