All inspections: Mears Care - Nottingham

This announced inspection took place on 16 November 2016. Mears Care provides support and personal care to people living in their own homes in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire. On the day of the inspection there were approximately 110 people using the service who received personal care.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We found that medicines were not always managed safely as staff did not always have all the information they needed and did not always keep accurate records. There were not sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs, this resulted in people experiencing delays to their care.

People were supported by staff who knew how to recognise and respond to abuse and systems were in place to minimise the risk of harm. Risks associated with people’s care and support were effectively assessed and managed.

People had access to healthcare and people’s health needs were monitored and responded to. People were supported to eat and drink enough.

People were supported by staff who had the knowledge and skills to provide safe and appropriate care and support. Safe recruitment practices were followed and staff were provided with regular supervision and support.

People were supported to make choices and decisions. However people’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were not always respected. People were asked for their consent by staff providing care. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible.

Staff were kind and compassionate and treated people with respect. People’s rights to privacy and dignity were promoted and upheld. People and their families were involved in planning their care and support and most staff knew people’s individual preferences.

People were supported to raise issues and complaints and however complaints were not always resolved to people’s satisfaction. People could not be assured that information about changes to their support would be communicated to them effectively.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. However effective action was not always taken to resolve known issues.

People who used the service were provided with opportunities to give their views on how the service was run.

We found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. These breaches were in relation to staffing and good governance. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

This inspection took place on 9 November 2015. Mears Care is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care and support to people in their own home in Nottingham. 147 people use Mears Care Nottingham, although not all of these were using the service on the day of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

There were not enough staff to ensure that people received their visits at the time they were expected – calls were often late. Staff took the necessary steps to keep people safe and understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse. Risks to people’s health and safety were managed and detailed plans were in place to enable staff to support people safely. People received the support required to safely manage their medicines.

Staff were provided with the knowledge and skills to care for people effectively. People received the support they required to have enough to eat and drink.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the use of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) The provider was aware of the principles of the MCA and how this might affect the care they provided to people. Where people had the capacity they were asked to provide their consent to the care being provided.

Positive and caring relationships had been developed between staff and people who used the service. People were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and making decisions about what care they wanted. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who understood the importance of this.

While people’s care plans were regularly reviewed and updated but they did not always experience the service which was planned around their care needs due to the service not being able to recruit and retain sufficient staff. People felt able to make a complaint and knew how to do so.

The culture of the service was open and honest, but there were few opportunities for the registered manager to discuss issues and deliver clear and consistent messages to the staff team. People were supported by staff who were clear about what was expected of them and staff had confidence that they would get the support they needed from the registered manager, both during and outside of office hours. The registered manager undertook audits and observed practice to ensure that the care provided met people’s needs.

At the time of our inspection there were 129 people who used the service. We spoke with 13 people who used the service and 5 relatives of people who used the service over the phone. We also spoke with five care workers and the registered manager on the day of our inspection.

People told us that they were satisfied with the service that they were provided with and that their care workers treated them with respect. One person said, "Brilliant. I am well looked after." Another person said, "I can't complain. Nine out of ten for care." Another person told us, "Very, very good." A relative of person who used the service told us, "Excellent care. It is all working very well."

We looked at the care records of five people who used the service and found that people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.

We found overall that people's medication needs were met safely by a well trained team of staff.

We looked at the personnel records of four care workers. We found that staff were recruited and trained safely and effectively.

There were systems in place to monitor and assess the service that people were provided with.

People told us they felt their privacy and dignity were respected. They told us they had received a service user guide and had been involved in the care planning process. A person said, 'I signed my care plans and there are regular reviews.'

One person said, 'I receive very good care.' Another person said, 'Everything's absolutely fine.' The other person told us they wanted the carers to arrive later in the evening but said, 'The care is fine.' We discussed this with the manager who told us that the carers would be visiting at a later time in the future.

People told us they felt safe when staff were providing care in their home. People told us staff were well trained. A person said, 'They are very helpful.' Another person said, 'The staff are an extension to my family.' People told us they would speak to the manager if they were unhappy. A person told us they had reported a concern to the manager in the past and said, 'I was 100% satisfied with the outcome.'

Archived: Mears Care - Nottingham

All Inspections

16 November 2016

During a routine inspection

9 November 2015

During a routine inspection

20 November 2013

During a routine inspection

14 June 2012

During a routine inspection