We carried out a review of the data available to us about Care Gems 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 Care Gems, you can give feedback on this 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.