Archived: Mears Care Limited Wallsend

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people who used the service, their relatives, staff supporting them and from looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

We sent out 60 questionnaires to people who used the service. Each person was also sent an additional questionnaire to give to relative, friend or advocate for completion. A total of 23 questionnaires were returned. 13 were received from people who used the service and 10 were received from relatives. In addition we spoke to four people who used the service, two relatives and four members of staff. The people who used the service and their representatives said the service was excellent, good or satisfactory.

Is the service safe?

We spoke with four people who used the service. They told us they felt the service was safe and they were well cared for. Comments included, "Everyone has always been kind to me" and "No one has ever been nasty."

Safeguarding procedures were robust and staff had been trained on how to safeguard the people they supported.

The care worker handbook also contained information regarding entering premises and the safe keeping of keys to people's doors. There were guidelines in place for staff if they handled cash carry out shopping for people and prohibited activities, such as, borrowing money, accepting gifts, use of loyalty cards and access to bank accounts. This helped to ensure people were protected from abuse.

There was a system in place for administering medications and staff received regular training. Senior managers also observed staff when they were administering medications to assess their competency.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs were assessed and care plans were developed with people and their representatives. The care plans provided staff with information about how each person's care needs should be met.

The staff we spoke with were able to describe the individual needs of the people they cared for and how these needs were met.

Staff told us, and records showed that appropriate training was provided and regularly updated. Staff were well supported and supervised to carry out their roles effectively.

Is the service caring?

We spoke with four people who used the service and their comments included, "They do everything they should do. The carers are brilliant, especially X," "The carers are very good but once or twice I didn't know who was coming for me," "They are very through and pleasant" and "I couldn't praise them high enough."

We looked at the care records for six people who used the service. Each person had a plan of care which provided details about how their care should be delivered.

We spoke with four staff members who were visiting the office. They told us they were shown a copy of the plan of care before they visited people so they were aware of the care they had to deliver.

Is the service responsive?

We saw evidence to show that the complaints procedure formed part of the service user handbook. People told us they knew how to make a complaint and they felt their complaints would be taken seriously and fully investigated. When we reviewed complaints that had been received in the service, we could see that these had been handled thoroughly.

People told us they were issued with a survey once a year to ask their opinion of the service and knew who to contact if they had any concerns.

Is the service well-led?

The service had a quality assurance system and records showed that identified shortfalls were addressed promptly.

We saw records to show the senior staff in the office were responsible for monitoring care records, care plans and medications on a monthly basis. The manager audited these each month to ensure standards were being maintained and any improvements were implemented.

Systems were in place to make sure that managers and staff learnt from events such as complaints, concerns and investigations. This reduced the risks to people and helped the service continually improve.