Mears Care - Surrey is a domiciliary care agency that was supporting 75 people at the time of the inspection. Most people received individual care visits; four people received live-in care. Not everyone using Mears Care - Surrey receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; 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:

People received consistent care and had established positive relationships with their regular care workers. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity when providing their care.

People were involved in planning their care and their rights and wishes were respected. 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’s care was well-planned and co-ordinated by the agency’s office team. People told us the office team was proactive in seeking their views about the care they received. The agency’s quality monitoring systems focused on the views of people receiving care and their families. Satisfaction surveys were distributed twice each year and people were contacted regularly to ask for their feedback. The office team carried out regular spot checks, which included observations of the care that staff provided. There were systems in place to ensure learning took place from incidents and that improvements were made as a result.

Staff monitored people’s health and reported any concerns promptly. Staff communicated effectively with other professionals, such as GPs and district nurses, to ensure people received the care they needed. People at risk of failing to maintain adequate nutrition were monitored and referred to healthcare professionals if necessary.

Staff had access to the induction, training and support they needed to provide people’s care. This included specialist training where necessary to meet people’s individual needs. Some staff suggested further training they would find beneficial. The registered manager agreed to investigate the availability of this training. Staff were well-supported by the registered manager and office team. They had opportunities to discuss their performance and development needs at supervision meetings with their managers.

People’s needs were assessed before they used the service and measures put in place to mitigate any risks identified. Assessments formed the basis of personalised care plans which reflected people’s individual needs and preferences. Care plans were reviewed regularly by the office team, who ensured they took account of people’s views during this process.

People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff received training in infection control and used gloves and aprons when necessary to protect against the risk of infection.

The provider operated safe recruitment procedures, including making checks to ensure staff were of good character and suitable to work in health and social care.

The service met the characteristics of Good in all areas; more information is in the full report, which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

The agency was previously registered with CQC under a different legal entity. The last inspection under the previous legal entity was on 7 September 2016 when the service was rated Good in all domains. The report of the last inspection was published on 1 November 2016.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence 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.