The Hawthorns

Updated 28 September 2017

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.

This inspection took place on 30 August 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service for people in their own homes and we needed to make sure there would be someone in the office. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

As part of the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, such as statutory notifications we had received from the provider. We also reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR). The PIR is a form where we ask the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We asked the local authority and Healthwatch if they had information to share about the service provided. We used this information to plan the inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with six people and one relative. We spoke with five staff which included the registered manager, a senior care and support worker, two care and support workers and the maintenance worker. We viewed three records which related to assessment of needs and risks. We also viewed other records which related to management of the service such as quality assurance processes and two staff recruitment records.

Updated 28 September 2017

The inspection was carried out on 30 August 2017 and was announced.

The Hawthorns is a housing with care scheme made up of 41 separate apartments all on one site. The accommodation has a communal lounge area, dining room and extensive garden for the use of the people living at the scheme. The property is designed to enable and facilitate the delivery of personal care and support to people, now or when they need it in the future. The service operates a 24hour on call system with staff on duty throughout the day and night. If they prefer, people can choose to commission care from other agencies in the area. At the time of our visit the service was providing the regulated activity of personal care to 13 people. The frequency of visits and duration across the service varied dependent on people’s individual needs and circumstances.

There was registered manager who had been registered at the service since February 2016. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At our last inspection 25, 26 July and 2 August 2016 we found breaches of Regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulation 2014. We gave the service an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’. These breaches related to the provider's failure to ensure that people were treated with dignity and respect at all times. The provider had not ensured that processes were in place to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to people who used the service. The provider did not ensure that an accurate and complete record was held for each person. We asked the provider to make improvements and to send us an action plan of how they intended to address the shortfalls in care.

At this inspection, we found that provider had made significant improvements since our last inspection and was no longer in breach of the regulations.

People were supported to keep themselves safe from harm and abuse. Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and who to report concerns to. The provider had completed recruitment checks to ensure that potential new employees were suitable and safe to work with people who used the service. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs in a timely manner.

Staff were aware of the risks associated with people’s needs and knew how to minimise the risk of harm without restricting people’s independence and choice. Staff knew what action to take in the event of accidents or incidents and there were procedures in place to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

People were supported to take their medicine when they needed it to promote good health. Staff monitored people’s health and supported them to access health care as necessary.

People were confident that staff had the skills and knowledge to meet their individual needs. Staff had access to training relevant to their role and to meet people’s specific needs.

Staff sought people’s consent before supporting them. Staff explained things to people in ways they could understand to enable them to make their own decisions.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain their health and wellbeing.

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring. People were involved in decisions about their own care and felt listened to. Staff treated people with dignity and respect.

People were supported by staff who knew their needs and preferences well. People received care and support that was personal to them. People received a flexible service that was responsive to changes in their needs and circumstances.

People had not had cause to complain but felt confident to raise concerns with staff or the registered manager should the need arise.

People and their relatives knew the registered manager well and found them easy to talk with.

There was a positive working culture at the service where staff felt well supported by the registered manager and their colleagues. Staff were asked their views about how the service could be improved and felt their contributions were valued.

The provider had a range of checks in place to monitor the quality of the service delivered and make improvements when required.