Background to this inspection
Updated
10 February 2021
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by two inspectors. One inspector carried out the office site visit.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave a short period of notice of the inspection. This was to establish the safest and most appropriate way of carrying out our inspection visit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspection activity started on 8 January 2021 and ended on 15 January 2021. We visited the office location on 15 January 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had about the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We spoke to nine people and two relatives by telephone. We spoke to five members of staff including the registered manager and four care workers. We contacted four health and social care professionals about their experiences working with the service. We asked the provider to send us information that included risk assessments and care plans for five people, documents relating to staffing, Covid 19 contingency plans as well as documentation relating to quality assurance systems and management oversight. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager. We reviewed records that included quality assurance, medicine administration records, and incidents accidents. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at further training records, assessments of care need and records around health and safety.
Updated
10 February 2021
About the service
Caremark Arun is a service providing care and support to people in their own home. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support to approximately 100 people. It provides a service to older adults, people who lived with dementia and adults with physical needs. 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from avoidable harm and abuse. Safeguarding policies and procedures were embedded within practice and consistently followed. Staff had recognised signs of abuse and had recorded their concerns, and appropriate referrals had been made.
People told us they were happy with the care they received, and that staff helped them to feel safe. Risk assessments and care plans were comprehensive and guided staff in how to provide care safely. There were enough suitable staff employed to cover all the care visits. People
said they received their calls on time and for the duration that they expected. People received the medicines appropriately and this was monitored through quality assurance checks.
People were supported by staff who had received appropriate training to meet their needs. Assessments of people's needs were thorough and supported people's diverse needs. Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink and to access the health care services they needed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in their best interests.
People were supported by staff who showed compassion and respect. People spoke highly of the care staff that supported them and said that they had developed good relationships with them. Staff knew people well and had the information they needed to provide good responsive care to them.
People and their family members spoke highly of the management of the service. Staff told us that the registered manager was approachable and supportive. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and described being well supported. People and staff told us their views on the service were sought.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This is the first inspection for this registered service in their new location. The service had previously been operating as part of a larger location but re-registered in 2019. However, as the provider changed location, CQC is required to re-inspect under its inspection protocol.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the timescales set out on our registration programme.
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.