Archived: Mears Homecare Limited - Sheffield

Updated 18 January 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 registered provider was 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.

We usually ask the registered provider to complete a registered provider Information Return (PIR). This is a document that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We did not request a PIR for this inspection as one had been requested and received under the previous registration and the date of this inspection was moved forward so that we could ascertain if improvements had been achieved.

Prior to our inspection we spoke with the local authority to obtain their views of the service. Information received was reviewed and used to assist with our inspection. We also reviewed information we had received, including notifications of incidents that the registered provider had sent us.

This inspection took place on 28 and 29 November 2016 and short notice was given. We told the registered manager two working days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available. This inspection was undertaken by two adult social care inspectors and two experts by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service. The area of expertise for both experts was in supporting older people.

As part of this inspection we spoke in person or over the telephone with people supported by Mears Homecare Limited - Sheffield, to obtain their views of the support provided. We telephoned 30 people supported by Mears Homecare Limited - Sheffield and were able to speak with them, or their relatives. In addition, we visited four people in their own homes to speak with them and to check the Mears Homecare Limited - Sheffield records held at their home. During home visits we also spoke with two relatives of people receiving support.

We visited the office and spoke with the registered manager, the operations manager, the training officer, a visiting officer and a care coordinator. In addition, four staff who supported people in their homes visited the office base so we could speak with them about their roles and responsibilities.

We spent time looking at records, which included eight people’s care records, (including four people’s care records during our home visits, and four people’s care records during the visit to Mears Homecare Limited - Sheffield office), four staff records and other records relating to the management of the service, such as training records and quality assurance audits and reports.

Updated 18 January 2017

Mears Homecare Limited is a nationwide registered provider of community services. Mears Homecare Limited - Sheffield is registered to provide personal care. Support is provided to people living in their own homes throughout the city of Sheffield. The office is based in the S4 area of Sheffield, close to transport links. An on call system is in operation.

At the time of this inspection Mears Homecare Limited - Sheffield was supporting 298 people whose support included the provision of the regulated activity ‘personal care’.

There was a registered manager at the service who was registered with CQC. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The Mears service had been operating at the Sheffield branch since August 2015. However, the registered provider changed the location name from Mears Homecare Limited DCA (Sheffield) and details of their address to accurately reflect the premises from which they were operating. The service was newly registered in September 2016. This inspection is the first inspection of the new registration.

The registered provider implemented a voluntary embargo on all new care packages as they had identified the need for improvement in some areas. The registered provider had worked to ensure their improvement and action plans were adhered to and improvements to the operation and delivery of the service were evident.

This inspection took place on 28 and 29 November 2016 and short notice was given. We told the registered manager two working days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available and to arrange for some care workers to visit the office during our inspection so we could speak with them.

People supported by the service and their relative’s spoke positively of the staff that visited them. People said they felt safe with the staff. Some people told us the service they received had improved and was more consistent and reliable.

We found systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely.

Systems were in operation to ensure the safe handling and recording of people’s money to protect them.

Staff recruitment procedures ensured people’s safety was promoted.

Staff were provided with relevant induction and training to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge for their role. Staff had a good knowledge of the people they were supporting.

Some people said the timing of visits did not always meet their needs and they did not always have regular care workers visiting them all of the time. Other people said they had a group of regular staff who generally arrived on time and stayed the full length of time.

The service followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Code of practice and the principles of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This helped to protect the rights of people who may not be able to make important decisions themselves.

Each person had a care plan that accurately reflected their needs and wishes so these could be respected. Care plans had been reviewed to ensure they remained up to date.

Some people supported, and their relatives or representatives said they could speak with staff if they had any worries or concerns and felt they would be listened to. Other people told us they had found the office staff less reliable but said this had improved recently.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Regular checks and audits were undertaken to make sure full and safe procedures were adhered to. People using the service and their relatives had been asked their opinion via surveys and the results of these surveys had been audited to identify any areas for improvement. The registered provider was aware that achieved improvements to the running and delivery of the service needed to be sustained to make sure they were embedded into practice.