Caremark (Oldham)

Updated 21 February 2026

Date of assessment: 24 February 2026 to 17 April 2026.

Caremark (Oldham) provides personal care and support to people with a range of care and support needs living in their own homes. Personal care is support that involves direct physical assistance with a person’s body, hygiene, or other tasks that they are unable to carry out independently. At the time of the assessment, the service was supporting 27 people with personal care. Not everyone who uses the service receives personal care. The CQC only inspects services where personal care is provided.

The service had a good learning culture, and people were generally supported to receive care that was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Leaders and staff worked together to identify risks, respond to concerns and learn from incidents. Managers investigated issues promptly and used learning to improve care, reduce repeat incidents and strengthen staff practice.

People were kept safe. Staff recognised risks and took appropriate action to protect people from avoidable harm, including during changes in need, hospital discharge or periods of increased vulnerability. Safeguarding processes were understood and followed, and concerns were shared appropriately with relevant agencies. Environmental risks in people’s homes were identified and managed, and infection prevention and control practices helped reduce the risk of infection.

People’s care assessments reflected their needs and were reviewed when circumstances changed. Care was delivered in line with current guidance and good practice, and staff worked with health and social care professionals to support people’s wellbeing. Medicines were managed safely, and learning from medicines related incidents was used to improve practice.

People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff knew people well, treated them as individuals and supported independence, choice and control wherever possible. People were involved in decisions about their care and felt listened to. Staff responded promptly when people’s needs changed or when immediate support was required.

The service was well organised and responsive. Care was coordinated to support continuity, and people were kept informed about their care. Feedback and complaints were welcomed, taken seriously and used to improve the service. Leaders worked to promote equitable access and outcomes, making reasonable adjustments where needed to support people fairly.

The service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders were visible, approachable and supportive. Governance systems provided oversight of quality, risk and performance, and information was used to drive improvement. Staff were supported through supervision and training, and their wellbeing was promoted to help sustain good quality care.

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.
 

Updated 21 February 2026

People’s views were gathered through telephone conversations with people using the service and their relatives. Where people were not able to speak directly with us, we reviewed care records, communication logs, complaint records and feedback gathered by the service to understand people’s experiences of care.

People and relatives shared largely positive experiences of care from the service. People felt safe, listened to and supported by staff who knew them well and understood their routines. Feedback gathered from a sample of people and relatives showed that staff were reliable, respectful and responsive, which helped people feel reassured and confident in the care they received.

People described staff treating them with kindness, dignity and respect. Personal care was delivered in ways that protected privacy and took account of individual preferences. One relative told us, “We are more than happy with the care; they are more like friends to us.” Relatives told us that staff communicated well and kept them informed when there were changes or concerns.

Where people’s needs changed or additional support was required, people and those close to them felt staff acted promptly and appropriately. People were involved in decisions about their care and felt their views were taken seriously. Staff explained care and support in ways people could understand and checked consent. Feedback, concerns and complaints were welcomed, and people were confident the service would listen and take action where needed.

Evidence showed that people were supported with respect, dignity and choice, and care was tailored to individual needs. People were encouraged to maintain independence and access their local communities, and reasonable adjustments were made to support communication and understanding.

During the assessment we reviewed care records, communication notes, feedback from relatives and records of reviews and supervision to understand people’s experience. This information showed that people were involved, listened to and supported in ways that promoted their wellbeing and quality of life.