Archived: Mears Care - Hammersmith & Fulham

Updated 30 June 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was a comprehensive inspection of the service which took place on 6 June 2017. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to assist with the inspection.

The inspection visit was conducted by one inspector. Before the visit we contacted people who use the service and staff by telephone to ask them about their experiences. Some of these phone calls were made by an expert-by-experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert-by-experience supporting this inspection had personal experience of caring for older relatives who used care services.

Before the inspection we looked at all the information we held about the provider. This included the last inspection report and notifications of incidents, accidents and safeguarding alerts. The registered manager had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

As part of the inspection we spoke with 13 people who used the service and the relatives of seven other people who used the service over the telephone. We received feedback via email and/or telephone from four care workers. During the inspection visit we spoke with the registered manager, six care workers, a field care supervisor and a care coordinator. We looked at the care records for eight people who used the service, the recruitment, training and support records for six members of staff and other records used by the provider, which included records of complaints and audits.

Updated 30 June 2017

The inspection took place on 6 June 2017.

Mears Care - Hammersmith & Fulham is registered to provide personal care and support to people living in their own homes. Mears Care Limited is a national provider of care services. The Hammersmith & Fulham branch provides support to people living in the London Boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Wandsworth. At the time of our inspection the majority of people who used the service were adults over the age of 65 years, although there were some younger adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities or mental health needs. Some people were living with the experience of dementia. There were around 150 people using the service at the time of our inspection.

The last inspection of the service took place on 20 July 2015 when we rated the service Good. We did not find any breaches of Regulation.

The service remained Good when we inspected it on 6 June 2017.

People were happy with the service. They liked the care workers who visited them and thought they were kind and caring. They said that the care workers listened to them and respected their choices. People had been involved in planning and reviewing their care and were happy with the care provided. People told us they could contact the office and speak with them when they needed. They felt safe and they told us they had the support they needed with medicines.

The staff were happy working for the agency. They felt well supported. They told us they had the training and information they needed to care for people. The staff were recruited in a way which ensured they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. The agency checked how the care workers were supporting people and took action when things were not right.

People told us their care workers arrived on time and stayed for the agreed length of time and care workers told us they had enough time to travel between care visits. There were suitable systems for planning care visits and making sure there were enough staff to meet people's needs.

People knew how to make a complaint and felt their concerns were taken seriously. They felt listened to and their care was regularly reviewed. The service was well managed by an experienced registered manager who knew the needs of individual people who used the service and the staff. Records were appropriately maintained, up to date and accurate. There were systems for monitoring the quality of the service and making sure people were happy with the care they received.