Care Gems

Updated 24 October 2024

Date of assessment 24 October 2024 to 23 December 2024.

Care Gems is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. Not everyone using the service received a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of this assessment, 22 people were receiving personal care from the service. We carried out onsite and offsite assessments. We carried out this responsive assessment as we received some information of concern. We found 2 breaches of the legal regulations in relation to notifications and governance.

Information that was needed had not always been recorded or obtained. Safeguarding incidents had not always been reported to the CQC, as required. Risk assessments did not always contain guidance, so staff did not have clear information on how to manage people’s needs. Medicines were not always managed safely. The provider’s quality assurance systems were not effectively identifying shortfalls in the quality and safety of the service.

However, people were happy with the care they received. Staff had completed training, knew people well, and were able to describe how to meet their needs. Staff felt well supported and worked with professionals to promote good outcomes for people. The provider was passionate about caring for people and wanted to learn and improve the service.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

Updated 24 October 2024

People told us they felt safe. People were happy with the care and support they received. Comments included, “Staff know my needs and look after everything. They are trained and competent”, “Staff are very good all of them”, and “I’ve been receiving care for just over a year. It’s brilliant. No complaints.” People told us they had been involved in their care planning and felt their independence was promoted. People told us they were able to contact the provider and management team. Comments included, “approachable and easy to get hold of” and “We talk all the time. Issues are dealt with at the time”.

While the people we spoke with expressed they were generally happy with their care, our assessment found elements of care did not meet the expected standards.