Archived: Mears Care - Whitby

We considered our inspection findings to answer questions we always ask.

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service well led?

This is a summary of what we found-

Is the service safe?

We visited this service because we had received some concerns about people who used the service having their contracted calls missed by staff. The manager had taken over the running of this service three months ago after transferring from another branch in the same company. They told us that when they arrived they found that there were a number of problems and staff missing calls was one of them. The manager dealt with this initially by doing the calls themselves whilst at the same time recruiting more staff and having clearer policies and procedures around this area of the service. One staff told us, " The manager has worked hard to improve the service and when he arrived he was going out on calls himself ".

On the day we visited we found that people using this service were given appropriate information and support regarding their care and treatment. One person told us, "The staff ring us anytime there are any issues in order to keep us up to date". There were enough staff to cover all the contracted calls on duty on the day of our visit and a management team was available on call in case of emergencies.

Medicines were managed appropriately and people were supported with their medication where appropriate which meant people received the correct medication at the correct time.

Recruitment procedures are safe and effective. No member of staff is allowed to work until a Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check (previously criminal records check) to ensure that people are cared for by suitable people.The service produces staff rotas taking account of skills and where people live to ensure continuity. There are systems in place to ensure that staff capability is checked by means of an unannounced check of staff by the manager or senior staff.

Is the service effective?

Assessments and care plans were written after consulting people who use the service or their relatives. People told us that they received and signed a copy.

We observed from care plans that specialist professional staff were involved in peoples care. For instance a clinical nurse specialist in palliative neurology was involved with one persons care.

We spoke to people who used the service and their relatives. They told us that they were happy with the care they received. It was clear from our observations during the day and our conversations with staff that they had a good understanding of peoples individual care needs and that they knew them well. One person told us, "They have it all worked out nicely for me. The carers are great ". Another person told us," The service is improving. It is a lot better ".

Is the service caring?

We spoke to staff about the people they cared for and we could see that they knew them well. The manager supported staff and people who used the service in an inclusive and caring way. They made sure that people were visited at home or telephoned to check that they were satisfied with the service. One person told us,"All the carers are polite and they treat my relative with respect". Another person said, "The manager checks to see if I am happy with the service".

Is the service responsive?

People's needs were assessed before they received a service. The manager told us that he visited people at home to find out what they wanted from this service and how that could be achieved. Records confirmed people's history and present support needs had been recorded and that support was provided in accordance with their wishes.

People knew how to make a complaint if they wanted to and that the manager would act. One person told us," If I wanted to complain I would just ring the office and the manager would deal with it". Another person who had made a complaint said that," Things are a lot better now and we have had no problems recently".

Is the service well led?

The service had identified some problems from the previous year but the new manager had responded positively and improvements had been made. They were supported in this by the operations manager and a care co-ordinator. The manager was open and honest with us during our visit and was positive about the improvements made so far. The staff and people who used the service said that they could see that things were improving. One person said, "Mears Care had improved recently" and another said, "The service is a lot better now".

There was a quality assurance system in place which checked that important areas were looked at regularly such as medication, care records and checking staff at work to make sure that people were receiving safe and effective care.

We found that people were consulted about their care and that the service sought people's consent to their care and treatment. We saw that the service assessed people's capacity to make decisions, to ensure their rights were protected.

We saw that the service assessed people's care needs and developed care plans which were reviewed with risk assessments in place. Specialists were consulted where appropriate. This meant that people received the care they needed.

We saw that people were protected from risk of harm through staff safeguarding adults training, correct recruitment practice and appropriate checks.

Staff were trained and supervised so that they could offer appropriate care.

The service monitored the quality of its care and support through surveys and internal systems so that improvements could be identified and put in place