The Care Quality Commission
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Karrek Community

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

42 Polkyth Road, St. Austell, PL25 4LW (01726) 810045

Provided and run by:
Karrek Community CIC

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment: 22 to 27 August 2025.

Karrek Community provides a supported living service to people with learning disabilities living in their own homes in Cornwall. At the time of the inspection 14 people were using the supported living service.

The assessment looked at all of the key questions; safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Following the assessment we have rated the service good overall and outstanding in well led.

We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

Staff were well trained and had the skills necessary to meet people’s support needs. People were normally supported by small staff teams who knew people well and understood their individual needs and preferences.

People were protected from abuse and risks to their safety had been identified and mitigated. Care plans accurately reflected people’s current needs and staff had documented the care and support they provided.

The service culture was focused on encouraging people’s independence and enabling people to live full and interesting lives. Staff respected people’s choices and listened to, and acted upon, their requests.

Staff were well supported by their managers and team meetings were held regularly to enable staff reflection and learning. The provider’s directors were based in the service’s offices and governance systems were effective. Audits and mock inspections had been completed to monitor the service’s performance. Action plans were used to ensure any issues identified were resolved.

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment: 20 August to 3 September 2025.

Karrek Community provides domiciliary care to adults living in their own homes throughout Cornwall. Most people received regular short visits help them maintain their independence. However, the service also supported a small number of people to access the community and maintain their social networks. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive a regulated activity of personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People were supported by one or two members of staff with visit duration varying from 30 minutes to 24 hour support. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting approximately 60 people.

The assessment looked at all of the key questions; safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. We have rated the service good overall and outstanding in well led.

People were protected from abuse and staff knew how to manage risks to ensure people were protected from harm. Staff were provided with clear guidance on techniques that had been previously used successfully to support people and used these approaches effectively during our observations.

Staff were recruited safely and there were sufficient staff employed to provide the planned support. However, a small group of staff were regularly working excessive hours. These working practices meant people may have been receiving support from staff who were tired. This put them at risk of receiving poor quality care. The provider had identified these risks prior to the inspection and, following feedback, additional processes were introduced to limit staff working hours.

Medicines were managed safely and given as prescribed. Staff had access to gloves and aprons when required and understood how to manage infection control risks.

Managers and staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and people were supported to make their own decisions and choices where possible. People were able to change their minds in relation to previous decisions and staff supported people to be as independent as possible. There were appropriate procedures to ensure people’s safety where they were known to regularly make risky and unwise decisions.

People’s care needs were assessed and identified before support was provided and care plans gave staff clear guidance on how to support people. Care records demonstrated planned care had been provided and that necessary referrals for external support had been made promptly.

Staff had the skills necessary to meet people’s needs and were well motivated by their managers. Staff training was regularly updated and team meetings held to enable information and learning to be shared. All staff received regular formal supervision from managers during which career development was encouraged.

Quality assurance systems were effective, and the provider’s directors supported the service’s leadership team effectively.

12 March 2018

During a routine inspection

Karrek Community Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. It provides a service to vulnerable adults. The packages of care that Karrek Community Care provides range from 30 minutes a day to 24 hour care dependant on the person’s care needs. The care provided covers the area of Cornwall.

Not everyone using Karrek Community Care 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 take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection Karrek was providing personal care to eight people.

This service provides care and support to one person living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

We carried out this announced inspection on 12 and 15 March 2018. At the last inspection, in November 2016, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People were extremely satisfied with the quality of the service they received and the caring approach from staff. People told us; “They (care staff) look after me very well. They are my lifeline,” and “I can’t fault them (staff) they are at the top of their scale.” Relatives echoed people’s views on the care that their family members received. Comments included: “They [staff] have been so good, they know [person’s name] so well” and “[Person’s name] is being cared for by staff that really care and are so supportive.”

The registered provider and team leaders were confident about the action to take if they had any safeguarding concerns and had liaised with the safeguarding teams as appropriate. Risk assessments clearly identified any risk and gave staff guidance on how to minimise the risk. They were designed to keep people and staff safe while allowing people to develop and maintain their independence.

Staff were aware of the reporting process for any accidents or incidents that occurred and there was a system in place to record incidents. Where accidents, incidents or near misses had occurred these had been reported to the service’s managers and documented in the service’s accident book.

One person had experienced a missed call. However as soon as this was identified an investigation into why it was missed and what action was needed to ensure future visits were not missed were put in place. The management team told us missed visits were, “not an option.” The service had robust and effective procedures in place to ensure that all planned care visits were provided.

The service’s visit schedules were well organised and there were a sufficient number of staff available to provide people’s care visits in accordance with their preferences.

People and relatives told us their staff never rushed their visits and stayed for the correct duration. Karrek operated an on call system outside of office hours. Care staff told us managers would respond promptly to any queries they might have.

There were processes in place to protect people and the security of their home when they received personal care, for example, all staff carried identification. People received information about who they should expect to be delivering their care so they were aware of who was due to call upon them.

People told us staff had sought their consent for their care. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. Staff had received relevant training and understood the principles of the Act.

People were supported by stable and consistent staff teams who knew people well and had received training specific to their needs. Training records showed staff had been provided with all the necessary training which had been refreshed regularly.

Staffs were recruited in a safe way and available in sufficient numbers to meet people’s needs. Staff were supported by a system of induction, training, one-to-one supervision and appraisals to

ensure they were effective in their role.

Staff knew how to ensure each person was supported as an individual in a way that did not discriminate against them in any way. People’s legal rights were understood and upheld.

Everyone told us staff ensured their dignity and privacy was promoted.

Staff were respectful of the fact they were working in people’s homes. The service offered flexible support to people and were able to adapt in order to meet people’s needs and support them as they wanted.

People’s care plans were detailed, personalised and provided staff with sufficient information to enable them to meet people’s care needs. The care plans included objectives for the planned care that had been agreed between the service and the individual. All of the care plans we reviewed were up to date and accurately reflected each person’s individual needs and wishes. The service’s risk assessment procedures were designed to enable people to take risks while providing appropriate protection.

The registered provider and management team provided clear leadership to the staff team and were valued by people, staff and relatives. There was a whole team culture, the focus of which was how they could do things better for people.

Karrek Community Care values were based on Christian principles. A staff member said “I love the work, I love it that I work for a Christian organisation and can connect with people on that level. But we also support people who are non-Christian and that’s fine. We don’t talk about it unless they want us to.” Staff told us they only shared their beliefs with people who wanted this.

People and relatives all described the management of the service as open and approachable. People and their families were given information about how to complain. There were effective quality assurance systems in place to make sure that any areas for improvement were identified and addressed.