We carried out a review of the data available to us about Caremark (Ealing) 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 Caremark (Ealing), you can give feedback on this service.
Caremark (Ealing) is a domiciliary care service that provides a range of care and support to adults, young people and children in their own homes, some of whom live with dementia, mental health needs and/or learning disabilities. The Care Quality Commission (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 our inspection there were twenty people receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and relatives were happy with the staff who they told us were kind and caring. The care and support people received was personalised and met their individual needs and preferences.
People and where applicable their relatives were fully involved in the assessment, planning and review of their care. The care and support people received supported them to maintain independence and remain living in their homes.
Staff knew people well and were knowledgeable about their care needs. Care plans provided detailed guidance for staff about everything they needed to do on each visit and were responsive to people's changing needs.
Staff understood their responsibility to protect people in their care from abuse and report any concerns they had. They knew how to recognise and report any concerns they had about people's safety and welfare.
People were supported by well-trained staff who felt confident in their roles. Staff received the support and guidance they needed from the registered manager.
People were supported to take their medicines safely. Staff had received training in safe medicines management and administration.
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 provider had systems in place to manage, resolve and review complaints. People and relatives were confident if they had any concerns or worries, they would be listened to and action taken to address their concerns.
People and their relatives had opportunities to provide feedback about the service, and action was taken to address issues they raised.
People and relatives told us that staff mostly arrived on time and always stayed for the duration of the planned call. The agency was flexible and responsive when people needed to change the times of visits.
There was a friendly, open and supportive culture amongst the managers and staff team. The registered manager was very committed to providing people with good personalised care and supported people to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Systems were in place to make sure there were enough suitable staff to carry out care visits. The quality and delivery of care were monitored and assessed and improvements to the service were made when needed.
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 06 July 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.
Caremark (Ealing) is a domiciliary care service that provides a range of supports to adults and young people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service provided care and support to 39 people. The majority of these were older people living with conditions such as dementia and physical conditions associated with ageing.
Caremark (Ealing) was re-registered with The Care Quality Commission on 25 November 2015 due to a change of address. This was their first inspection under their new registration.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run
People who used the service spoke positively about the care that was provided to them. Staff members also spoke positively about the people who they supported.
People were protected from the risk of abuse. The provider had taken reasonable steps to identify potential areas of concern and prevent abuse from happening. Staff members demonstrated that they understood how to safeguard the people whom they were supporting. Safeguarding training and information was provided to staff.
Risk assessments were up to date and contained information for staff members on how to manage risk. Although we found that a risk assessment had not been completed for a person’s nutritional needs, their care plan contained detailed information and guidance for staff members on how to support them.
Arrangements were in place to ensure that people’s medicines were given and recorded. Staff members had received training in safe administration of medicines. Information about the medicines that people received was maintained in people’s homes.
Staff recruitment processes were in place to ensure that workers employed by the service were suitable and of good character. Staff training met national standards for staff working in social care organisations and additional training had been provided to ensure that people’s individual needs were met.
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Staffing rotas met the current support needs of people using the service. There was a system for ensuring that care calls were managed and monitored. Staff and people who used the service had access to management support outside of office hours.
The service was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act. Capacity assessments were in place for people. People were asked for their consent to any care or support that was provided.
Staff members spoke positively and respectfully about their approaches to care and the people that they provided care to.
People’s care plans showed that religious, cultural and other needs and preferences were supported. People told us that staff members respected their wishes and treated them with dignity and respect. Care plans included information about people’s communication needs and emphasised the importance of supporting people to maintain their independence.
People who used the service knew what to do if they had a concern or complaint. Complaints that had been received by the service had been investigated to people’s satisfaction.
People who used the service and staff members spoke positively about its management. A range of processes were in place to monitor the quality of the service, such as audits and spot checks of care practice and documents, along with surveys of people’s satisfaction with their care and support.
The service worked in partnership with charitable organisations to obtain funding to meet the needs of people and staff members.