This report was created as part of a pilot which looked at new and innovative ways of fulfilling CQC’s regulatory obligations and responding to risk in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was conducted with the consent of the provider. Unless the report says otherwise, we obtained the information in it without visiting the Provider.About the service
Caremark (Chelmsford & Uttlesford) is a domiciliary care agency providing care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is to help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
At the time of inspection, the service was providing care to 52 people however only 46 people were receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives told us they felt safe using the service and were confident that any concerns raised would be dealt with appropriately.
People appreciated being visited where possible by the same staff. If there was going to be unexpected staff changes or late calls, people were informed.
The computerised care plan was comprehensive and provided clear guidance for staff. People and relatives told us they were involved in the planning of their care which was reviewed regularly to ensure the care continued to meet their needs.
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 this practice.
During the pandemic some people’s needs had changed and the service supported the additional activities such as shopping and collecting medicines from the chemist. The provider recognised loneliness and isolation as a concern, and the service used technology to enable people to stay in touch with their relatives.
Staff spoke with compassion when talking about their role and people using the service. People told us staff were kind and caring and that staff promoted their dignity, independence and safety when carrying out their care.
The service had a safe recruitment and induction process in place. Staff were positive about the training they had received and spoke highly of the management team saying they were supportive and approachable.
The provider and registered manager acknowledged the challenges of the pandemic and told us how they had adapted during that time to ensure the continuation of care provision for people using the service, supporting families and staff. The quality management oversight was conducted through audits, visits by the registered manager, telephone calls, surveys and staff supervision. People told us the communication with the service was good.
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 (report published 16 April 2019)
Why we inspected
This was a planned pilot virtual inspection. The report was created as part of a pilot which looked at new and innovative ways of fulfilling CQC’s regulatory obligations and responding to risk in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was conducted with the consent of the provider. Unless the report says otherwise, we obtained the information in it without visiting the Provider.
The pilot inspection considered the key questions of safe and well-led and gives a rating for those key questions. Only parts of the effective, caring and responsive key questions were considered, and therefore the ratings for these key questions are those awarded at the last inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Caremark (Chelmsford & Uttlesford) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.