Archived: Mears Care Derby

Mears Care Derby is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. The service caters for older people and younger adults with needs relating to dementia, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment. The registered location is situated in Derby city centre, providing to people around Derby, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. There were 283 people using this service at the time of our inspection.

At our last inspection during March 2017 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the service required improvements in some areas. Providers should be aiming to achieve and sustain a rating of ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’. Good care is the minimum that people receiving services should expect and deserve to receive.

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.’ However following the inspection site visit the provider notified us that the registered manager no longer worked for them. The provider confirmed temporary management arrangements had been put into place until another manager was appointed into this position.

People raised concerns that they did not always receive their calls at the agreed times and when staff had been delayed they were not notified. Current governance systems were not always effective in recognising area's which required improvements.

Current staffing levels did not ensure that there were sufficient staff deployed to meet people’s individual needs.

There were processes in place for people to raise any complaints or concerns about the service provided. However, people did not feel listened to and felt their complaints had not always been resolved to their satisfaction.

Recruitment procedures ensured prospective staff were suitable to care for people receiving personal care in their own homes.

People told us they felt safe with the care provided by staff. Staff we spoke with understood their responsibility in protecting people from the risk of harm. Staff told us they had received training and an induction that had helped them to understand and support people.

Staff supported people to make decisions about their day to day care and support.

When needed, people were supported to maintain their dietary requirements. Staff we spoke with were aware of who to contact in an event of an emergency.

People told us that staff treated them in a caring way and respected their privacy and supported them to maintain their dignity.

This was the first inspection since the provider’s registration of this location on 18 August 2016. The providers legal entity has changed since the last inspection visit.

Mears Care Derby is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to older people and younger adults in their own homes across Derby and surrounding areas. This included people with physical disabilities and mental health. The agency office is located in Derby city centre. There were 199 people in receipt of personal care at the time of our inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

People we spoke with said they felt safe with the care and support they received from staff at Mears Care Derby. Staff were knowledgeable as to whom they should report information to should they believe someone was at risk of abuse.

Risk assessments and care plans had been developed with the involvement of people. Staff had the relevant information on how to minimise identified risks to ensure people were supported in a safe way. However risk assessment were not always detailed, which placed people at risk of inappropriate or unsafe care. People received their medicines as prescribed and safe systems were in place to manage people’s medicines.

People told us they received their calls at the agreed times. The provider’s recruitment procedures ensured suitable staff were employed to work with people who used the service. Staff received training to meet the needs of people living at the service and received supervision, to support and develop their skills.

The provider understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Their consent was sought by staff. Staff knew about people’s individual mental capacity to make informed decisions.

People received appropriate support to manage their dietary needs. This was done in a way that met with their needs and choices. People were referred to health professionals when required to maintain their health and wellbeing.

People told us staff treated them in a caring way and respected their privacy. Staff supported people to maintain their dignity. The delivery of care was tailored to meet people’s individual needs and preferences.

The provider’s complaints policy and procedure were accessible to people who used the service and their representatives. People knew how to make a complaint.

There were processes in place for people and their relatives to express their views and opinions about the service provided. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the registered manager and provider to drive improvement.

Staff felt supported by the management team. The leadership and management of the service and its governance systems ensured consistency in the care being provided.