Background to this inspection
Updated
8 May 2019
The inspection:
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.
Service and service type:
This service is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes so that they can continue to live as independently as possible.
Not everyone using Hales Group - Letchworth receives 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 take into account any wider social care provided.
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 the service two days’ notice of the inspection site visit. We needed to give the registered manager notice so that they could be available to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 17 April 2019 and ended on 26 April 2019. We visited the office location on 18 April 2019 to meet the registered manager and to review care records and policies and procedures. We spoke with people who used the service and their relatives by telephone on 17 April 2019 and 26 April 2019 to gather their opinions about the care and support people received.
What we did:
Before our inspection we reviewed information that we held about the service including statutory notifications that had been submitted. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We reviewed the Provider Information Return submitted to us in March 2019. This is information that the provider is required to send to us, which gives us some key information about the service and tells us what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.
As part of the inspection we spoke with eight people who used the service, relatives of five people who used the service, six staff members, the registered manager and the regional manager. We looked at care plans relating to three people and reviewed records relating to the overall management of the service.
Updated
8 May 2019
About the service: Hales Group Limited - Letchworth is a domiciliary care service that provides care and support to people in their own homes. 84 people received support at the time of this inspection.
People’s experience of using this service:
People were safe and protected from avoidable harm because staff knew how to identify and report any concerns relating to the risk of abuse. They were familiar with how to report concerns to agencies outside of the organisation. Risks to people`s health, safety and well-being were assessed and measures put in place to remove or reduce the risks. People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited through a robust process.
People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff had received appropriate training and had their competency assessed to help ensure they were sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable in this area. Staff had received training in infection control practices and personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons was provided for them. The management team took appropriate actions following any incidents and learning was shared with the staff team.
Before care delivery started assessments were undertaken to make sure people`s needs could be met by Hales Group - Letchworth. Care plans were developed from these assessments for each person’s identified needs and staff had clear guidance on how to meet those needs. Staff received training and support to enable them to carry out their roles effectively.
People told us staff prepared simple meals for them as needed and encouraged them to take fluids to maintain their health and wellbeing. Staff and the registered manager knew people well and were able to promptly identify when people`s needs changed and they sought professional advice appropriately. Staff were proactive in identifying if people were unwell and contacted appropriate healthcare professionals as needed. Mental capacity assessments were carried out where needed to establish if people had the capacity to make decisions affecting their health and wellbeing.
People and their relatives praised the kind and caring nature of staff. People received consistent care from a small team of staff. People knew about their care plans and could decide what care and support they needed. People’s records were held securely in a locked cabinet within a locked office to help promote confidentiality.
People received care and support as they wished. People told us they would be confident to raise any concerns with the management team. Everyone we spoke with during this inspection was satisfied with the care and support they received.
The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the Duty of Candour and was committed to providing a high standard of care for people as well as support for the staff team. People, their relatives and staff members spoke highly of the registered manager and told us that they were always available and supportive. People told us that they were often asked for their views about the quality of the service.
Rating at last inspection: The service achieved a Good rating at the last inspection. Report published 02 August 2016.
Why we inspected: This was a scheduled 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 any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.