Background to this inspection
Updated
3 April 2020
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
This inspection was undertaken by two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.
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 domiciliary service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
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. 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 five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with ten members of staff including the provider, registered manager, recruitment manager, senior care workers and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included eight people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We spoke with seven people who used the service. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We sought feedback from seven professionals who regularly visit the service.
Updated
3 April 2020
About the service
Caremark Chichester is a domiciliary care agency which provides support for adults in the community, including those living with Parkinson’s and dementia, who require assistance with personal care. At the time of the inspection 109 people used 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. At the time of this inspection 78 people were in receipt of personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Systems and process were in place to monitor the quality of the service being delivered. These were not always robust to identify the issues we found during the inspection in relation to ensuring accurate record keeping. The provider and registered manager provided assurances of what action they would take to address this.
People were happy with the care they received and felt safe with the staff supporting them. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and improper treatment and staff knew how to identify potential harm and report concerns. People received their medicines safely from staff who were trained to administer these. Checks were carried out prior to staff starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service.
Positive and caring relationships had been developed between staff and people who used the service. People were treated with kindness and compassion and staff were friendly and respectful. People benefitted from having support from staff who had a good understanding of their individual needs.
Care was personalised to meet people’s care, social and well-being needs. Care plans provided adequate information and guidance for staff. Staff knew people well and provided support in line with people’s preferences. People’s diverse needs were catered for and they were treated with dignity and respect.
There were high levels of satisfaction amongst people who used the service. Everyone we spoke with said they would recommend the service to others. People repeatedly told us staff had made a difference in their lives and ensured people were happy and safe.
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.
The culture of the service was positive; people and staff were complementary of the management and provider.
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 this service was Good (published 15 September 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.