We carried out a review of the data available to us about Caremark (Weymouth & West Dorset) on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Caremark (Weymouth & West Dorset), you can give feedback on this 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.
Caremark (Weymouth and West Dorset) is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service provided personal care and support for 27 people.
There was 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 were positive about the care and support they received. They told us staff treated them kindly and we saw people were comfortable with staff in their homes. People told us they felt safe. They were protected from harm because staff understood the risks they faced and how to reduce these risks. Staff knew how to identify and respond to abuse; including how to contact agencies they should report concerns about people’s care to.
Staff understood how people made choices about the care they received, and encouraged people to make decisions about their care. Care plans mostly reflected care was being delivered within the framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We discussed where records did not reflect the MCA and the registered manager began work to address this immediately.
There were enough safely recruited staff to ensure people received their visits as planned. These staff were consistent in their knowledge of people’s care needs and spoke with confidence about the care they provided to meet those needs. They were professional in their approach and motivated to provide the best care they could. They told us they felt supported in their roles. They had received training that provided them with the necessary knowledge and skills to do their job effectively. Staff kept accurate records about the care they provided and these records were used to review people’s care.
People’s medicines and creams were administered safely.
People had access to health care professionals and were supported to maintain their health by staff. Staff understood changes in people’s health and shared the information necessary for people to receive safe care. Where people had their food and drink prepared by staff they told us this was prepared well. People were left with access to appropriate drinks and food between visits.
Management were committed to making continual improvements to the quality of care. This included development of new skills and expertise amongst the staff team in response to people’s identified needs and specific training needs identified and requested by the team. There were systems in place to review and monitor the quality of the service people received including feedback from people and staff.
People were positive about the care they received and told us the staff were friendly and compassionate. Staff treated people and each other with respect and kindness throughout our inspection.