Caremark (Redditch and Bromsgrove)

Updated 6 June 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and 1 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 and specialist housing.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in place 1 month prior to our inspection. They told us they would be applying to become the registered manager.

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 provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 04 May 2023 and ended on 19 May 2023. We visited the location’s office on 09 May 2023.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people who used the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care and support provided. We spoke with 11 staff, which included the nominated individual, the manager, a field supervisor, a care coordinator and care staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed aspects of 6 people's care records, 4 staff recruitment records, training records, staff rotas and documents in relation to the governance of the service.

Updated 6 June 2023

About the service

Caremark (Redditch and Bromsgrove) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to people who may have dementia, people who may have an eating disorder, people who may misuse drugs and alcohol, people who may have mental health needs and people who may have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were 57 people using the service.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support: Model of Care and setting that maximises people’s choice, control and independence

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.

Staff were recruited in line with the provider’s policy with pre-employment checks completed. Staff had been trained and had the skills to support people. However, further training was needed in specific areas, such as textured modified diets. Staff had received training to support people with learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorders, however the provider acknowledged this was basic training and more in-depth training would be given.

Right Care: Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights

People told us they felt safe and supported by the staff who cared for them. People said they felt safe with staff in their homes. Staff understood how to protect people from the risks of abuse and how to report any concerns. People’s care, treatment and support plans gave staff the information they needed to provide safe care. People’s care plans provided detail on how staff should support people in the right way to keep them safe. Staff ensured people’s rights and dignity were promoted and protected within the agreed risk management plans of care. Infection, prevention and control was managed well.

Right Culture: The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

The provider had good oversight of the service. Quality checks took place and identified where improvements were needed and actions were taken. The provider had ensured we (CQC) were informed about incidents we should be legally told about. Feedback was sought from people, relatives and staff about how they felt about the service they received. This feedback was positive about the hands-on caring approach by staff. The provider was open to feedback and was willing to learn lessons and make further improvements to strengthen the quality of the service. Staff felt valued and said they felt supported by the provider and manager.

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 the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 12 June 2019.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about people’s safety. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.