Archived: Caremark (Sandwell & Walsall)

During the inspection we spoke to seven members of staff and the manager. Following the inspection we spoke with four people who used the service and five family members.

The people we spoke with were complementary of the staff. We were told care staff were courteous and polite and treated people with respect. One person who used the service said: 'I am very pleased, I would recommend them to anyone'. A relative said: 'The staff are very polite, I have nothing but praise'.

Staff, people who used the service and relatives we spoke with told us that care plans were available in people's homes and gave staff information on the delivery of care. We found improvements had been made to the care planning process, with further ongoing development.

We asked staff about the training provided by Caremark. All of the staff we spoke with said training was available and gave them the necessary knowledge and understanding for their role.

People who used the service and family members we spoke with said they were asked for feedback regarding the quality of the service provided by Caremark.

The people we spoke with were complimentary of the staff. One relative said, 'Staff are always polite and respectful, I have no complaints'.

Staff, people who used the service and relatives we spoke with said care plans were available in the homes and gave staff information on the delivery of care. The people we spoke with said staff were supportive of their family member's care needs.

Accessing the necessary information within the care plans we viewed was difficult. In one care plan it was not clear if the person was able to stand independently as the information was contradictory throughout the plan.

We asked the staff about their understanding of safeguarding (protecting vulnerable adults). The staff we spoke with confirmed they had received the appropriate training. Staff were able to tell how they would raise concerns if necessary.

We looked at three staff personnel files and saw that a recruitment process was in place. Checks were made to ensure satisfactory criminal records bureau disclosures (CRB) were in place. We saw that staff files held references however, they did not all have the two references, at stated in the company policy.

The provider had systems in place to ensure people could raise concerns or complaints in order to improve the quality of the care received.