Caremark (Sefton)

Updated 20 December 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 23 November 2018 and was announced. This was because it was a small service and we wanted to ensure the registered manager was available to assist us with the inspection process. The inspection was conducted by an adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection we checked information we held about both the service and the service provider. We looked at any statutory notifications received and reviewed any other information we held prior to visiting. A statutory notification is information about significant events which the service is required to send us by law. We also invited the local authority commissioners to provide us with any information they held about the service. We used all this information to plan how the inspection should be conducted.

During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, the managing director, a field care supervisor, four members of care staff, four people who used the service and a relative.

We looked at care records belonging to four of the people using the service, four staff recruitment files, a sample of medication administration records, policies and procedures and other documents relevant to the management of the service.

Although we were unable to directly observe the delivery of care people received, we asked them about their experiences over the telephone.

Updated 20 December 2018

Caremark is a home care provider which offers domiciliary care services and personal support, it provides care and support for people of all ages within their own homes. The service provides assistance with personal care, medication, nutrition and hydration, pressure area care and accessing the community. At the time of our inspection there were 45 people using the service.

At our last inspection in March 2016 we rated the service overall as ‘Good.’ We rated the domain of ‘Well-led’ as ‘Requires Improvement,’ this is because the service did not have a registered manager in post. We have now improved the rating to ‘Good.’ The service had a registered manager in post who was appointed in 2017. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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.

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the overall rating of ‘Good’ and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

We found people were kept safe by the use of appropriate risk assessments and provision of care by staff who were familiar with their needs. Any accidents and incidents were reported and recorded appropriately.

Staff’s suitability to work with vulnerable adults at the service had been checked prior to employment. For instance, previous employer references had been sought and a criminal conviction check undertaken.

Staff had received training which equipped them with the knowledge and skills to ensure people received adequate care. Some staff had received more specific training to meet the needs of people living with specific health conditions, for example, training in dementia, mental health and PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) care. Medication was managed safely and was administered by staff who were competent to do so. People who wished to self-medicate were supported by staff to do so safely, this helped to promote their independence.

Care records contained information to identify people’s requirements and preferences in relation to their care and there was evidence to show that they had been consulted about decisions. People we spoke with told us their choices and preferences around their care and support were respected.

People were supported by staff to attend health care appointments. This helped to maintain people’s health and well-being.

Quality assurance processes were in place to seek the views of people using the service. This helped to drive improvement.

Although all of the people using the service were able to consent to their care and treatment, staff we spoke with understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA is legislation which protects the rights of people to make their own decisions.

We asked both people using the service and staff about how they thought the service was managed and their feedback was positive.