Mears Care - St Neots

Updated 11 February 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager was also the provider for this service. This means they 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. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be able to support the inspection and provide us with information we requested.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as telephone calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation. Inspection activity started on 10 January 2022 and ended on 20 January 2022.

We spoke with six people who used the service and ten relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager.

We requested a range of records during the inspection, this included two people’s care records, and staff recruitment documentation. Additionally, we also reviewed records relating to the management of the service, which included audits and the service development plan.

Updated 11 February 2022

About the service

Mears Care - St Neots is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. 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 inspection, the service was supporting 89 people, 62 of which were being supported with personal care.

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

People told us that staff went the extra mile to ensure they had everything they needed. One person said, ‘‘[Staff] asked me what I wanted, what I needed, anything else they can help with.” People told us they felt supported by the staff and the management team. Staff understood the importance of promoting choice and personalised care. Staff were dedicated to ensuring people felt supported and remained as independent as possible.

Governance processes were in place, Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. The registered manager continually improved the service using action plans from regular auditing, feedback from surveys, compliments and complaints. People told us they felt supported to have a voice. One relative said, “[Provider] seems well organised and we have a good communication chain.

Staff understood the importance of promoting choice and personalised care. People were given maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. Staff received training to ensure they were competent in providing and meeting people’s needs. People told us their needs and preferences had been assessed before care was provided and reviews took place regularly. People told us they felt listened to and confirmed they received their support at a time convenient for them.

The registered manager ensured people received care from consistent staff which supported the development of positive relationships. People knew which staff to expect for their care visit and told us they were supported to maintain and develop their interests. People were provided with information on how to raise a concern or complaint. People told us they had no complaints but knew who to contact should they need too. People and relatives told us communication with staff and the registered manager was excellent. People told us they were extremely happy with the care and services provided.

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 02 April 2020 and this is the first inspection..

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.

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.