Archived: Mears Care Dean Road

Updated 27 July 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 2 July 2019 and ended on 5 July 2019. We visited the office location on 2 and 4 July 2019.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We also looked information we held about the service from healthcare professionals and members of the public. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and a healthcare professional to gather their views of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff, including care workers, the quality manager and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. Including, five people’s care records and three people’s medicines records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also looked at audits, training, rotas, policies and procedures and other records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at end of life training data and quality assurance feedback.

Updated 27 July 2019

About the service

Mears Care Dean Road is an extra care housing service providing personal care to 32 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. People using the service lived in flats in one purpose built building. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People received care and support from staff that could identify, respond to and escalate suspected abuse. Risk management plans in place were regularly reviewed. People’s medicines were managed in line with good practice. People received support from staff that had undergone a robust pre-employment check to ensure their suitability. People were protected against the risk of cross contamination as the provider had systems in place to minimise the risk of infection control.

People received support from staff that underwent regular training to enhance their skills and knowledge. People were supported to access food and drink that met their dietary needs and requirements. People had access to healthcare professional services to monitor and maintain their well-being. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People confirmed they were treated with respect, dignity and had their privacy respected. People were encouraged to maintain their independence where safe to do so. Staff spoke respectfully about the people they supported and had developed professional meaningful relationships.

Care plans were person-centred and reviewed regularly to reflect people’s changing needs. People were encouraged to participate in meaningful activities of their choice. People were aware of how to raise a concern or complaint and were confident these would be dealt with swiftly. People’s end of life care wishes were being sought.

People confirmed the service was well managed and the registered manager was available to them. The provider ensured systems and processes were in place to monitor the oversight of the service and drive improvements. People’s views were regularly sought and the registered manager actively sought partnership working.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 10 August 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was planned in line with our inspection programme.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.