Home Care Provider Challenges Regulator’s Assessment

A company providing care for elderly individuals in their own homes has declared its intention to dispute a regulatory body’s report, which concluded that its services “require improvement.” The Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted an inspection of Caremark Redcar and Cleveland. While the CQC rated the provider’s effectiveness, care, and responsiveness as “good,” it determined that its safety and leadership “required improvement,” leading to an overall judgment of “requires improvement.” This service provider assists approximately 400 clients and operates as a contractor for Redcar and Cleveland Council. Michelle Jackson, the managing director, stated that the company is disputing the findings and expressed that they were “extremely disappointed” by the outcome. She further noted that the service achieved high scores during the council’s independent quality inspection, according to reports from the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The CQC indicated that personnel at Caremark Redcar and Cleveland needed to enhance their record-keeping practices. While the commission emphasized that no-one had been harmed, it cited an instance where records failed to indicate the application sites of creams for clients, alongside discrepancies in the prescribed timing of medications. The CQC also noted that lessons from incidents were not consistently applied, pointing to evidence of repeated medicine errors. Conversely, the report acknowledged that staff rotas were effectively managed and that recruitment processes were “robust,” involving thorough checks for new employees. Furthermore, the CQC commended the “capable and compassionate management team.” The regulatory body also mentioned that subsequent to the inspections, it received a “detailed action plan addressing the shortfalls” that had been identified, which encompassed “new audits and processes.” A spokesperson for Caremark Redcar and Cleveland stated that the council’s recent quality assessment awarded them “very highly,” and the company considered this to be “an accurate reflection” of their competence. “We are, however, absolutely committed to working with the CQC and will ensure we rectify any shortcomings in our service that are appropriately identified by them,” the spokesperson added. For updates, follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.