Archived: Mears Care Huntingdon

Updated 8 November 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is 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.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out this announced inspection.

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 rented 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 a short period notice of the inspection because, prior to visiting the service, we wanted to speak with people who use the service.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

Inspection activity started on 30 September 2019 and ended on 21 October 2019.

During our visit to the service’s office and extra care housing scheme, we spoke with four people, one person’s relative, and five staff. The staff included three support workers, the team leader, and the registered manager. We sampled a range of records. These included four people’s care records. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, investigations and meeting minutes.

We received feedback via email from three external health and or social care professionals, two housing managers, and one relative, during the inspection period.

Updated 8 November 2019

About the service:

Mears Care Huntingdon is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care and support to people living their own flats in the specialist ‘extra care’ housing scheme in Huntingdon town centre. 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. At the time of our inspection 11 people were receiving the regulated activity personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were protected from avoidable harm by a staff team trained and confident to recognise and report any concerns. Staff assessed and minimised any potential risks to people. Staff followed the provider’s procedures to prevent the spread of infection. The provider had systems in place to enable staff to safely manage people’s medicines.

The provider had systems in place to make sure they only employed staff once they had checked they were suitable to work with people who used the service. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs safely. People received care from staff who were trained and very well supported to meet people’s assessed needs.

Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink and maintain a healthy weight. They worked well with external professionals to support people to keep well.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Staff worked well together. They knew the people they cared for well and understood, and met, their needs. Staff supported people in a gentle and compassionate way. Staff were respectful when they spoke with, and about, people. They supported people to develop or maintain their independence. Care was person-centred and met each person’s specific needs. People and their relatives were involved in their, or their family member's, care reviews.

People’s care plans provided staff with guidance on how to meet each person’s needs. People spoke positively about how staff helped them to maintain and or develop their interests and community links. With support from external healthcare professionals, staff supported people to receive end of life care in their own home.

People and their families felt able to raise concerns which the provider addressed. The provider had systems in place, including a complaints procedure, to deal with any concerns or complaints. The provider and registered manager promoted a culture that focused on people as individuals. The provider had put robust systems in place to effectively monitor the service and bring about further improvement. Staff worked in partnership with external professionals.

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating for this service was Good (published 29 April 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

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