SOCIAL care bosses had been warned of the service provided by an underfire health organisation years before it scrapped services for hundreds of elderly and disabled people in Hampshire, it has been claimed.

County Councillor David Simpson says he warned Hampshire County Council of concerns over Mears Care Fareham's suitability to run services more than two years ago, following "diabolical" care received by his mother - but claims his fears fell on deaf ears.

It comes after the Daily Echo revealed the care provider has cancelled its home-care visits contract for almost 300 adults in the Fareham and Gosport areas - and has been criticised for poor performance in a damning report by health watchdogs.

As previously reported the council is working with two new providers to ensure frail and elderly clients are sufficiently cared for in time for the full handover of the contract by Mears.

The care agency has been put in special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after inspectors deemed it "inadequate" during a spot check revealing severe staff shortages, poor training and management.

It came as it revealed the firm was struggling to meet the demands of a council deal tripling the amount of clients it had to deal with as part of a shake-up of social care.

Mears - which was granted the contract in March last year - says it had decided to cancel it in August - more than two months before inspectors launched their 11 day probe on October 22.

But Cllr Simpson revealed he raised concerns much earlier after the firm visited his mother Dorothy Simpson at her home in Gosport over a four day period in September 2013.

He said carers failed to give the 96-year-old vital drugs, visits were cancelled and rushed with one being just five minutes.

On one occasion a family member found her in a pool of her own urine just minutes after a carer had visited, he claimed.

The Liberal Democrat Member for Hartley Wintney, Eversley and Yateley West, said: "I warned the council not to use them because of the care they gave my mother was abysmal and it made me concerned about the service they provide.”

In emails seen by the Daily Echo, Ruth Dixon, Hampshire County Council’s community care services and commissioning deputy director says an investigation had been carried out.

The message states: “I can confirm that reviews of service users using this care agency have been undertaken in response to your concerns.

“These reviews have not highlighted any significant deficits in service provision.”

But a spokesman for Mears Care refused to comment on individual cases and urged Cllr Simpson's family to contact the firm's customer care team.

Council social care executive Cllr Liz Fairhurst defended Mears’ appointment – one of 11 providing the county’s social care - and added: “Each provider underwent a rigorous assessment process, including  a review of the quality of service, before securing a contract.”

She said complaints were always “thoroughly investigated”.

As previously reported the CQC inspection came shortly after a care shake-up which involved the number of users going from about 100 to 300 and an increase in care hours.

It revealed a catalogue of failings including overstretched carers turning up late to clients’ houses, rushing so much they broke crockery, failing to wash them and sometimes not even showing up.

Mears says the jobs of its 90 care employees are safe ahead of the two new providers taking over.