Caremax Ltd

Updated 19 November 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

A single inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses.

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 the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 28 October 2021 and ended on 29 October 2021. We visited the office location on 28 October 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we received about the service. We asked the registered manager to send us information in relating to staff training, medicines management, quality assurance and infection control. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service. We used this information to plan our inspection. 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person’s relative and another person’s friend about the person’s experience of the care provided. We spoke with two care staff, the deputy manager and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care and medicines records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including the quality monitoring systems and audits.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 19 November 2021

Caremax is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to older people living in their own homes. There were five people using the service at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service

There were safeguarding adults’ procedures in place to guide staff. The registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were enough staff to meet people’s care and support needs. Where required people received safe support from staff to take their medicines. The provider and staff were following government guidance in relation to infection prevention and control. Staff had received training on COVID 19 and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The service had business continuity and COVID 19 contingency plans in place that made provisions for safe care in the event of an emergency.

People’s care and support needs were assessed before they started using the service and care plans were in place to ensure staff could support them safely. Staff received training and support relevant to people’s needs. Where required people received support from staff to maintain a balanced diet. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Relatives and friends told us their loved ones were treated in a caring and respectful manner and they had been consulted about their loved one’s care needs. They knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy with the service. People had access to end of life care and support if it was required.

There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of service that people received. Staff said they received good support from the registered manager. The registered manager took people and their relatives views into account through satisfaction surveys and telephone monitoring calls and feedback was used to improve the service. The registered manager and staff worked with health care providers to plan and deliver an effective service.

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

Rating at last inspection (and update)

This service was registered with us on 04/07/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to assess if the provider was complying with our regulations.

Follow-up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service in line with our monitoring activity, which will inform when we next inspect the service.