Archived: HF Trust - Stroud DCA

Updated 17 December 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

Prior to the inspection we looked at information about the service including notifications and any other information received from other agencies. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to report to us. We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR). The PIR was information given to us by the provider. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, tells us what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make.

This inspection was completed on 15 and 16 November 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service; we needed to ensure we would be able to meet with people where they were receiving the service.

The inspection was completed by one adult social care inspector. The previous inspection was completed on 29 January and 3 February 2014 and there were no breaches of regulation at that time.

During the inspection we looked at six people’s care records and those relating to the running of the home. This included staffing rotas, policies and procedures, quality checks that had been completed, supervision records and training information for staff.

We spoke with the two registered managers of the service and 11 members of care staff. We spoke to 11 people at HF Trust Stroud DCA and visited 12 people in two different locations who receive support. Not every person was able to express their views verbally or were willing to engage with us. We therefore spent time observing care and the interactions between people and staff. This helped us understand the experience of people who could not tell us about their life in HF Trust Stroud DCA or the support they received in their own home.

The provider arranged for a coffee and cake afternoon at a local pub on the final day of our inspection. This was a space for us to talk to people and staff and for them to ask us any questions.

After the inspection we emailed six health and social care professionals and received one reply. We emailed 11 relatives and received 10 replies. These were all positive replies and gave us good feedback on how people were cared for at the service.

Updated 17 December 2016

This inspection was announced and carried out on the 15 and 16 November 2016. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service; we needed to ensure we would be able to meet with people where they were receiving the service. HF Trust Stroud DCA is a domiciliary care service providing individualised support for people with a learning disability. The amount of care and support varied from a few hours per day, or week, to people receiving care and support 24 hours a day.

The service was last inspected on 29 January and 3 February 2014. At the previous inspection there were no breaches of regulation.

There were two registered managers in post at the service; 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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the time of the inspection, the provider was supporting 42 people living in different supported living locations. There had been some re-structuring of HF Trust in 2016 and some other services were closing. Many people had recently moved to HF Trust Stroud DCA from larger care homes. There were three registered managers for the provider. They each managed a number of locations between them, with each being responsible for approximately three locations. The registered managers would cover each other’s locations in the event of any absence.

The service was safe. Risk assessments were implemented and reflected the current level of risk to people. There were sufficient staffing levels to ensure safe care and treatment. There were some minor errors with medicine recordings.

People were receiving effective care and support. Staff received training which was relevant to their role. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals. The service was adhering to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and where required the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Staff told us there was an open culture and the environment was an enjoyable place to work. Staff were extremely passionate about their job roles and felt integral to the process of providing effective care to people.

The service was caring. We observed staff supporting people in a caring and patient way. Staff knew the people they supported well and were able to describe what they like to do and how they like to be supported. People were supported sensitively with an emphasis on promoting their rights to privacy, dignity, choice and independence. People were supported to undertake meaningful activities, which reflected their interests.

The service was responsive to people’s needs. Care plans were person centred to provide consistent, high quality care and support. People using the service and their relatives were able to raise concerns and were listened to.

The service was well led. Quality assurance checks and audits were occurring regularly and identified actions to improve the service. Staff, relatives and other professionals spoke positively about the registered managers.