Caremark (Havering) rated outstanding by CQC inspectors

Caremark (Havering) in Hornchurch, London, has been rated outstanding, following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Caremark (Havering) is a homecare agency which provides personal care to people living in their own homes. CQC only inspects domiciliary services that provide people with personal care, such as help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. At the time of the inspection in March, the service was providing care to around 16 people.

This was the first inspection of the service since its registration with CQC. Following the inspection, the provider was rated outstanding overall and outstanding for being responsive and well-led, and good in relation to whether it was safe, effective and caring.

Neil Cox, CQC's head of inspection for adult social care in London, said:

'We found the team at Caremark (Havering) was committed to providing outstanding care to the people they supported. People were encouraged to have choice, independence, and control in a range of aspects of their lives. The team should be extremely proud of the work they do.

'What really impressed me about this service was the level of personalised support that people received from staff who had the right skills and who treated people with kindness, compassion and dignity. For example, staff recognised special occasions and religious holidays where appropriate, and continued to do this during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the additional pressures they were facing. The provider even organised arts and crafts competitions, to engage people in an enjoyable activity and support their emotional wellbeing. People told us they liked the staff who supported them, and staff themselves declared it a great place to work.

'People should always be cared for by services that are safe, effective, caring, responsive to their needs, and well-led. I would encourage other providers to read this report, and the others we have published on our website about services we have rated outstanding, to see what they can learn.'

CQC inspectors found:

• People were highly respected and well-treated. Their personal histories, cultures and values were identified to ensure staff were delivering a personalised service.
• The provider's equality, diversity and inclusion policy protected characteristics such as age, race, disability and sexual orientation, which legally protect people from discrimination. Staff were trained in these areas and told inspectors they respected people's differences and human rights.
• People's social needs were explored so the provider could plan how they could be met and ensure people felt consulted, empowered, listened to, and valued.
• The provider developed community links and, to help tackle isolation, they set up a partnership with a local charity to raise money for lonely elderly people and help them engage in community activities. In the COVID-19 pandemic, staff set up a befriending service called 'Chit Chat Chums' for all elderly people in Havering, not just those using the service, to help reduce people's loneliness and anxiety during lockdown.
• People said their privacy, dignity and independence was promoted and respected by staff. One person said, 'I have very amicable arrangements with the carers. They're very co-operative.'
• The service also understood how to promote end of life care. Staff were very supportive of a bereaved family who were unable to visit their relative who passed away unexpectedly. They offered to assist with funeral arrangements and even selected an outfit for the person to wear at the funeral. The outfit was culturally specific and meant a lot to the deceased, demonstrating the provider's exceptional understanding of people's social and cultural needs and beliefs.

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