Caremark Hounslow

Updated 16 November 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. Following the inspection an Expert by Experience carried out telephone interviews with people receiving support and relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post who was also a director of the company.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 18 August 2022 and ended on 25 August 2022. We visited the location’s office on 18 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met the registered manager who was also a director of the company. We looked at a range of records which included the care records for five people, four care workers’ files and a range of records including those used for monitoring the quality of the service, such as audits, minutes of meetings and policies. Following the inspection telephone interviews were carried out with two people and the relatives of four other people who received care visits.

Updated 16 November 2022

About the service

Caremark Hounslow is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The majority of people receiving support had their care funded by the local authority. At the time of the inspection the service provided support for approximately 34 adults and younger people. 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.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

The provider had not always developed risk management plans which provided care workers with appropriate information to enable them to mitigate any identified risks. The provider did not always identify where lessons had been learned following an incident or safeguarding concern to ensure preventative measures were put in place.

The provider had developed a range of quality assurance processes, but these were not always robust enough to identify where action was required to improve the service.

People were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not always support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice. We have made a recommendation to the provider in relation to supporting people to make decisions about their care.

The provider did not always investigate complaints so that actions could be completed to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. We have made a recommendation to the provider advising them to implement national guidance on how complaints are handled, investigated and responded to.

People felt safe when they received care in their own homes. Medicines were administered as prescribed and were managed safely. The provider had a recruitment process which enabled them to identify if the applicant's skills and knowledge were suitable for the role.

Care workers completed a range of training to support them in their role. People's care needs were assessed before the care visits started to ensure these could be met. Relatives felt the care workers who visited their family member were kind and caring. People's religious and cultural preferences were identified and respected.

People's care plans were person-focused and identified how they wished their care to be provided. People's communication support needs were identified. The provider worked in partnership with other organisations. People receiving support and relatives were happy with the care provided.

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 18 June 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was conducted based on the date of registration.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, effective, responsive and well led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.