Hartley House

Updated 6 April 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The office visit took place on 9 March 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice that we would be coming. This was so we could be sure the registered manager was available to speak with us. The inspection was a comprehensive inspection and was conducted by one inspector.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. We looked at information received from the statutory notifications the provider had sent to us and commissioners of the service. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. Commissioners are people who work to find appropriate care and support services which are paid for by the local authority.

Following our inspection visit we received feedback from one person who used the service and three people’s relatives.

We received feedback from two members of care staff, the registered manager, the deputy manager and a quality assurance manager.

We looked at a range of records about people’s care including three care files. We also looked at other records relating to people’s care such as medicine records and daily logs. This was to assess whether the care people needed was being provided.

We reviewed records of the checks the registered manager/ provider made to assure themselves people received a quality service. We also looked at staff records to check that safe recruitment procedures were in operation, and staff received appropriate supervision and support to continue their professional development.

Updated 6 April 2018

Hartley House is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. Hartley House trades as Hartley Locums. Care staff call at people’s homes to provide personal care and support at set times agreed with them. At the time of our inspection there were six people who received personal care from the service.

There was a registered manager in post when we inspected the service. A requirement of the service’s registration is that they have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

This was the first inspection of the service following its registration with CQC in May 2017. The manager, who was also the provider, was building their business slowly with only a few clients. When we visited the manager was developing systems and processes to ensure people received a quality service.

People were positive about the care they received and were complimentary of the care staff that supported them. People said they felt safe when supported by care staff. Care staff understood how to protect people from the risk of abuse and there were processes in place to minimise risks to people’s safety, which included information about people’s individual risks in their care plans.

Checks were carried out prior to care staff starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service. New care staff completed induction training and shadowed more experienced care staff to help develop their skills and knowledge before supporting people independently. This ensured they were able to meet people’s needs effectively.

All care staff had been provided with the policies and procedures of Hartley Locums to support them to provide safe and effective care to people. Care staff received specialist training on how to manage medicines so they could safely support people to take them.

People received a service based on their personal needs and care staff usually arrived to carry out their care and support within the timeframes agreed.

People told us care staff maintained their privacy and dignity. People’s nutritional needs were met by the service where appropriate.

The registered manager and care staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and how to put these into practice. Care staff told us they gained people’s consent before providing people with care and support.

The manager/provider had processes to monitor the quality of the service and to understand the experiences of people who used the service. This included regular communication with people, staff, and record checks. People knew how to raise concerns if needed.