We carried out a review of the data available to us about Caremark (Winchester & Eastleigh) 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 (Winchester & Eastleigh), you can give feedback on this service.
Caremark (Winchester & Eastleigh) provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the agency was providing a service for 67 older people with a variety of care needs, including people living with physical frailty or memory loss due to the progression of age.
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.
At our last inspection on 14 June 2016, we found one breach of regulation. The service was non-compliant with safe medicines procedures. The provider sent us an action plan detailing the steps they would take to become compliant with the regulations. During this inspection we found action had been taken and they were now compliant.
We received positive feedback from people about the service. People who used the service expressed great satisfaction and spoke highly of the care staff.
People felt safe with the service provided by Caremark (Winchester & Eastleigh). The risks to people were minimized through risk assessments, staff were aware of how to keep people safe and the information provided staff with clear guidelines to follow. There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies.
Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks were undertaken, which helped make sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in their own homes. Staff received training in safeguarding adults.
Staff completed a wide range of training and felt it supported them in their job role. New staff completed an induction before being permitted to work unsupervised. Staff told us they felt supported and received regular supervision and support to discuss areas of development. Staff meetings were held regularly. There were sufficient numbers of staff to maintain the schedule of care visits to meet people’s needs
People received their medicines safely. There were appropriate arrangements in place for managing medicines. Staff were trained in the handling of medicines. Staff contacted healthcare professionals when required.
People felt they were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was respected. People were supported with their nutritional needs when needed. Staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and understood that people had the right to make their own choices.
Staff were responsive to people’s needs which were detailed in care plans. Care plans provided comprehensive information which helped ensure people received personalised care which met their needs.
People felt listened to and a complaints procedure was in place. Staff felt supported by the management and felt they could visit the office and be listened to. There were systems in place to monitor quality and safety of the service provided. The service had built up local links with the community.
Caremark (Winchester and Eastleigh) provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of this inspection the agency was providing a service to 55 people with a variety of care needs, including people living with physical frailty or memory loss due to the progression of age. The agency is managed from an office based outside of Eastleigh.
A registered manager was not in post at the time of our inspection. 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. The manager was currently in the process of applying to register or the regulated activity of personal care.
People and their families told us they felt safe and secure when receiving care. However, people’s medicines records were not always recorded appropriately and information on where to apply medicated creams was not always clear.
Relevant recruitment checks were conducted before staff started working at Caremark (Winchester and Eastleigh) to make sure staff were of good character and had the necessary skills. However, there were unexplained gaps in staff employment histories.
Staff received training in safeguarding adults and child protection for when they came into contact with children. Staff told us they felt supported and received regular supervisions and support. Staff meetings were held every quarter.
People’s risk assessments and those relating to their home environment were detailed and helped reduce risks to people while maintaining their independence.
Staff received regular support and one to one sessions of supervision to discuss areas of development. Staff informed us they completed a wide range of training and felt it supported them in their job role. New staff completed an induction before being permitted to work unsupervised.
People who used the service felt they were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was respected. People were supported to eat and drink when needed. Staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and were clear that people had the right to make their own choices.
Staff were responsive to people’s needs which were detailed in people’s care plans. People felt listened to and a complaints procedure was in place. Regular audits of the service were carried out to asses and monitor the quality of the service. Staff felt supported by the managing director and staff in the office and felt they could visit the office any time and be listened to.
We identified a breach of regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we have taken at the back of the full version of the report.