We carried out a review of the data available to us about Caremark Newcastle 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 Newcastle, you can give feedback on this service.
Caremark Newcastle is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of inspection 20 people were receiving the regulated activity personal care.
Not everyone who uses the service may receive 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 felt safe with the service provided. Improvements had been made to help ensure people's safety. Staff knew about safeguarding procedures.
Rota management was becoming better managed, to ensure people received timely and consistent care from the same staff.
Electronic care planning had been introduced and records provided improved guidance to ensure people received person-centred care.
Risks were assessed and mitigated to keep people safe. Improvements had been made to staff recruitment to ensure it was safe and effective. Improvements were being made and people were correctly supported with their medicines.
Staff were becoming better trained. They worked well with other agencies to ensure people received appropriate care and support. Staff were supported by the organisation and were aware of their responsibility to share any concerns about the care provided.
The provider was monitoring the use of PPE for effectiveness and people’s safely.
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.
All people and relatives were complimentary about the direct care provided by support staff. A person told us, “Staff talk to me and have a laugh and giggle” and “The girls absolutely care without a shadow of a doubt.”
Improvements had been made to the quality assurance systems to ensure people received safe and person-centred care with their views being taken into account. Effective systems were being put into place to ensure people were central to the delivery of their care.
We have made a recommendation about ensuring a formal system of external scrutiny to strengthen the governance of the service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was Good (published 3 March 2022).
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to staffing and governance. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns as the new manager had identified areas of improvement before the inspection and had made immediate improvements. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Caremark Newcastle on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Caremark Newcastle is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to adults with a range of health and social care needs in the Newcastle upon Tyne area. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting nine people. The service has an office base near the centre of the city but offers support to people across a number of postcode areas.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Relatives told us care was always delivered safely. The provider had dealt with recent safeguarding concerns in line with procedures. Risks associated with supporting people were assessed and action taken to mitigate them in the future. Systems were in place to effectively manage infection control and ensure staff had the most up to date information on Covid-19. Staff told us they had received training and support on the effective use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE.) Relatives said staff always attended care appointments within a reasonable timescale. Staff recruitment processes were effective. People were supported with their medicines, although the system for adding new medicines to records or updating people’s prescriptions was not always robust. We have made a recommendation about this.
People’s needs had been assessed before care was delivered and their choices and preferences considered. The provider had clear guidance on generic mandatory staff training and how this should be delivered and updated. We have made a recommendation about considering training that is more focussed on the service needs. There had been additional support and guidance offered in relation to infection control and the use of PPE. People were supported to live as healthy lives as possible.
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. Care records implied people had consented to care delivery and changes to care plans, although this was not always fully recorded. We have made a recommendation about this.
Relatives told us people received good quality care and staff were extremely helpful. They said staff were very kind and often did more than was detailed in the care plan. They said staff were very aware of the need to support people in a dignified manner and encourage them to be independent.
Care plans contained good detail and included people’s preferences and particular likes and dislikes. There was evidence care was reviewed to ensure it continued to meet people’s needs. Records showed thought had been given to any specific communication needs. Staff told us they always checked with people they were happy with the care they delivered. Relatives told us the communication with carers was good. They told us staff had worked particularly hard at befriending people during the current pandemic, when other company was limited. There had been no recent formal complaints.
A new manager had recently taken up post and was commencing the registration process. They had a clear vision about how they wanted Caremark Newcastle to be a quality service. Staff told us they were well supported by the manager and the care co-ordinator and could call at any time for advice. Quality systems were in place to ensure staff delivered appropriate care.
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 28 April 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing issues and missed calls. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. As this was the first inspection of this service following registration, we looked at all five of the domains.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the 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.