Background to this inspection
Updated
6 November 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager was also the provider. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 25 September 2019 and ended on 27 September 2019. We visited the office location on 25 September 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection-
We visited the office location on 25 September 2019 and met with the provider, registered manager, office and care staff. On 26 September 2019 we visited five people in their homes with prior consent. On the 27 September, we spoke with 10 people and their relatives over the telephone. We looked at five people's care records, three staff recruitment files and other records relating to the management of the service including, training records, governance systems and quality assurance.
Updated
6 November 2019
About the service
Caremark (Weymouth & West Dorset) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses/flats in the community.
Not everyone using Caremark (Weymouth & West Dorset) receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection, 56 people were receiving personal care from the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe and cared for by staff who were friendly, respectful and attentive to their needs. A relative said, “I have been very pleased and impressed with all the care and support my husband has received.”
However, we found improvements were needed in the management of people’s medicines and some risk assessments were not person centred and lacked specific guidance for staff to follow. Also risks associated with providing care and support to people in their own homes had not been assessed or recorded. We have made recommendations in relation to medicines and risk management.
Quality assurance and governance systems were in place to assess, monitor, and improve the quality and safety of the services provided. However, we found the systems in place had not identified the issues we found at this inspection. We have recommended the provider undertakes a review of the effectiveness of the systems and processes in place.
Other risks were well managed. Risks had been identified in relation to people’s care needs such as mobility and action had been taken to minimise these.
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.
People's privacy and dignity was respected, and their independence promoted. They had access to healthcare professionals when required and were supported to maintain a balanced healthy diet.
People were protected from potential abuse by staff who had received training and were confident in raising concerns. There was a thorough recruitment process in place that checked potential staff were safe to work with people who may be vulnerable by their circumstances.
People had confidence in the registered manager and told us the service was well managed. There was an open culture where people, relatives and staff were encouraged to provide feedback. Staff felt they received a good level of support and could contribute to the running of the service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 6 February 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme.