First inspection of Mears Care - St Neots, a domiciliary care agency supporting 62 people with personal care, rated Good across all five key questions. Inspectors found compassionate, personalised care, consistent staffing, robust governance and strong partnership working with no regulatory breaches identified.
Strengths
· Staff went the extra mile and provided compassionate, person-centred care including additional support such as collecting newspapers and arranging Christmas food hampers
· Consistent staffing supported positive relationships; live monitoring system helped prevent missed visits
· Strong governance with regular audits, surveys, action plans and a detailed business development plan
· Effective safeguarding knowledge and reporting practices among staff
· Robust recruitment processes including references and criminal record checks
Quality-Statement breakdown (24)
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices; delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawGood
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills and experienceGood
effective: Supporting people to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced dietGood
effective: Staff working with other agencies; supporting people to access healthcare servicesGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityGood
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their careGood
caring: Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity and independenceGood
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control and to meet their needs and preferencesGood
responsive: Supporting people to develop and maintain relationships and follow interestsGood
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsGood
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsGood
responsive: End of life care and supportGood
well-led: Planning and promoting person-centred, high-quality care and support with openness; duty of candourGood
well-led: Managers and staff clear about roles, quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsGood
well-led: Engaging and involving people using the service, the public and staffGood
well-led: Continuous learning and improving careGood