Archived: Caremaid Services Kingston

Caremaid Services Kingston is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of inspection, the service supported people with conditions such as dementia and mobility needs. Out of a total number of 35 people, 34 people were receiving personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We found evidence during our inspection for a breach of regulation and the need for this provider to make improvements.

Care records had not always included all the necessary information to provide staff with guidance on the support people required. This meant that people using the service had been placed at unnecessary risk of harm.

Some staff’s understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) was limited. Governance systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the care people received were not always operated effectively because the provider had failed to pick up the issues we identified during our inspection. We made recommendations about this.

Although some people reported that staff’s visits were occasionally shorter than expected, they felt safe supported by the provider. Staff were aware of the safeguarding procedure and the actions to take if they had any concerns about people’s safety. Recruitment checks were carried out to ensure staff were of suitable character to work with vulnerable people. People received the necessary support to manage their medicines as prescribed. Infection prevention and control measures were in place and followed by staff to ensure safe care delivery.

Staff read people’s care records electronically which helped them to access information easily when needed. Checks took place to monitor staffs’ performance on the job. Where people required support to meet their nutritional needs, staff had provided the required care.

People described staff as caring and kind. People were involved in their care planning and made decisions to inform staff about their wishes and choices. Staff respected people’s right to privacy and independence and approached to their cultural needs with sensitivity.

Personal information about people was included in care records to ensure staff knew people’s preferences and wishes. People had help to meet their communication needs as necessary. Provider’s complaints procedure was given to people so they could raise concerns as and when needed.

People, their family members and healthcare professionals felt that there was a good leadership at the service. The staff team had support to carry out their responsibilities effectively. The provider had developed good communication with the healthcare professionals to support partnership working.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This was the first inspection of the service since it registered with the CQC.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on when the service registered with us.

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.