We carried out a review of the data available to us about Caremark (Kirklees) 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 (Kirklees), you can give feedback on this service.
Caremark (Kirklees) is a domiciliary care service. It provides care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 109 people.
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
Medicines were not always managed safely. We did not find evidence that anyone had been harmed. However, medicine administration records had not always been completed accurately and we could not be sure people had received their medicines as prescribed. We have made a recommendation about medicines management.
Staff understood safeguarding procedures and had received training in recognising the signs of and types of abuse. Safe recruitment practices were followed to ensure staff were suitable to support vulnerable people. Staff received an induction to the service, training and on-going supervision.
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. Person-centred care plans were in place. These described the support people wanted.
People told us they received support from a team of familiar care workers. People and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring and treated them with dignity and respect
There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided and to drive improvements. Complaints had been dealt with appropriately. Learning was shared with the staff team when things went wrong.
Systems were in place for gathering feedback from people and their relatives about the quality of support they received. People told us they were happy with the way the service was managed. The service valued its staff and offered rewards for good work. Staff were complimentary about the management team and about the way the service was run.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (report published 25 July 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
Caremark (Kirklees) is a domiciliary care provider, based in Kirklees, providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. There were 111 people using the service at the time of our inspection.
The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People and their family members told us they felt safe. Staff had received safeguarding training in order to keep people safe and staff demonstrated a good understanding of what to do if they were concerned anyone was at risk of abuse. There were robust recruitment practices in place, which meant staff had been recruited safely. Risks had been assessed and reduced where possible.
Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and records showed staff were aware of actions to take in an emergency. There was an effective out of hours’ service, in case of emergencies.
Staff were trained to manage and administer medicines to people and their competency was regularly assessed. Medication administration records were fully completed and regularly audited.
People received effective care and support to meet their needs. People and their relatives felt staff had the necessary skills and training to provide effective care and support. Staff told us they felt supported and we saw staff had received induction training as well as ongoing training and supervision.
Care and support was provided in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We saw from the care files we reviewed, consent had been sought and obtained from people, prior to their care and support being provided.
People we spoke with told us staff were caring. The staff we spoke with were enthusiastic and were motivated to provide good quality care. Staff told us how they respected people’s privacy and dignity and the people we spoke with confirmed this. People were encouraged to maintain their independence.
Care and support plans were detailed and personalised, taking into account people’s choices and preferences and people’s needs were reviewed regularly. People told us they could make their own choices. People told us the service was responsive and flexible to their needs and local commissioners confirmed this.
Regular audits and quality assurance checks took place, in order to drive improvement within the service and feedback was given to staff in order to improve practice. Staff told us they felt supported and people felt able to contact the office in the knowledge they would be listened to. Complaints were managed and responded to effectively.