Care Gems

Updated 8 January 2022

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 completed by an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

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

Inspection activity started on 8 October 2021 and ended on 13 October 2021. We visited the office location on 8 October 2021.

What we did before the 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.

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they had registered with us. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and two senior care workers during the office visit. We spoke with nine staff via phone calls. We spoke with seven people who used the service and three relatives of people using the service also via phone calls. We reviewed three staff recruitment and training files. We also looked at three care plans and associated risk assessments. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two professionals who regularly liaise with the service.

Updated 8 January 2022

About the service

Care Gems is a small domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection they were providing care and support to 42 people in and around Exminster and the surrounding areas.

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 positive about their experience of using Care Gems. People said they were responsive to their needs, were kind and caring and understood individuals’ needs. One person commented “I was very poorly at first (when service started) but they were very thorough and couldn’t do enough for me. We have tweaked it since I have started recovering, so the service has worked well for me.”

Relatives said the service was supportive and communicated well with them. One said “Since we told carers that (name of person) loves music, they make sure they have someone in the room when they are getting her up, washed and ready, so you often hear them singing along or laughing with her, it’s nice to hear.” Another said “When Mum had a fall, the Lifeline company called me. I called the Out of Hours number and spoke to (name of registered manager) who only lives in the village and despite being 8pm in the evening, she dropped everything and got straight round to Mum’s in minutes to wait with her. As I live 25 miles away, I was very grateful and felt she went above and beyond. They really do care about their clients.”

There were sufficient staff with the right skills and support to meet the needs of the people the service currently supports. Staff recruitment was robust, and staff undertook an induction process of training and shadowing more experienced staff until they were confident to do the role themselves. Staff confirmed they were supported to do their job safely and effectively. One said “If a client has high needs, then we shadow the person (carer) who has been looking after them until we are confident. I am not worried about asking for help.”

Individuals needs were fully assessed prior to a service starting so that risks and preferred routines were included as part of their overall care plan. One relative said “There was a full risk assessment at the beginning before they started coming (to see Mum) and in the six weeks they have been coming, we have had nothing but a good experience. I feel safe in the knowledge that Mum is well looked after, and it has certainly given me peace of mind.”

People were supported to take their medicines safely and where needed support was given to help people maintain good nutrition and hydration.

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.

Systems and processes were in place to review the quality of care and support provided. This included seeking the view of people suing the service as well as the staff team. Staff said they felt valued and their views were listened to.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 27 August 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the fact the service had been registered for over 12 months and had not yet been rated.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

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.