We carried out a review of the data available to us about Caremark Central Bedfordshire 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 Central Bedfordshire, you can give feedback on this service.
Caremark Central Bedfordshire is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
The service was supporting 26 people. At the time of the inspection, 16 people were being supported with personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were happy with the care and felt safe with the way staff supported them, which they said was kind, caring and respectful. One person told us, “[Staff] are always friendly and have a smile ready. They are cheerful and extremely polite; they always start the day with a good morning. I am very happy. [Staff] present with patience.”
Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and staff understood what they were doing and how to identify and report any concerns. People told us they were reassured and felt safe from the risks of infection and COVID-19. This was because staff washed their hands regularly and always wore makes, gloves and aprons when supporting them.
People felt listened to and were happy to speak to the registered manager or staff team if they had a complaint. They told us staff were approachable and any concerns were resolved quickly.
People’s care was planned to be personalised and they told us they were fully involved in the planning and review of their care. The staff team were flexible when anything changed and regularly sought people’s views about this. People told us their medicines, meals and drinks were all provided correctly in ways they preferred.
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.
The registered manager ensured all staff had been checked prior to employment to make sure they were suitable for their role and people would be safe. Staff received full training and induction and took time shadowing other staff. This was so they could get to know people well and how they liked things to be done before providing their care.
The registered manager and staff team followed all the current government guidance and legislation to make sure they were following best practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating
This service was registered with us on 15 May 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.
This was an ‘inspection using remote technology’. This means we did not visit the office location and instead used technology such as electronic file sharing to gather information, and video and phone calls to engage with people using the service as part of this performance review and assessment.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.