Hales Group Limited - Peterborough

Updated 10 August 2022

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 10 May 2022 and ended on 31 May 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who use the service; 12 relatives of people who use the service; seven staff (care staff and office staff); the registered manager; and area manager. The registered manager sent us a range of documents for review.

Updated 10 August 2022

About the service

Hales Group Limited - Peterborough is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 75 people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives were very happy with the service provided by the staff. One relative told us, “The standard of care is excellent.” Another relative said, “Hales has been the best company my [family member] has had.”

There were enough staff employed to meet people’s care needs. They had been recruited well, had received appropriate training and felt well-supported by their managers. Staff knew how to report any concerns so that people were protected from avoidable harm. Potential risks to people were assessed and staff followed guidance to minimise the risks. People felt safe with the staff. They received their medicines safely and staff followed infection prevention and control procedures.

Staff were very happy to be working for Hales Group Limited – Peterborough. They felt well-trained and supported to be able to do their job well. Staff assisted some people with their meals and worked with external care professionals to promote people’s health and well-being. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff treated people with respect and upheld their privacy and dignity. People and their relatives described staff as amazing, caring and kind and gave many examples of how staff had gone ‘over and above’ their role to make life more comfortable for people.

Care plans were written with the person and their relatives: they detailed the care each person needed and how that person wanted their care delivered by the staff. Information was available in accessible formats and people knew who to contact if they had any concerns.

We received positive feedback from people, their relatives and staff about the service and the way it was managed. The registered manager was approachable and very well-liked. She managed the service well and understood her regulatory responsibilities to inform people if anything went wrong and to notify CQC about specific events. Audits were carried out to ensure a high-quality service was provided and people were encouraged to put forward ideas for improvement. One relative told us, “I would definitely recommend this company. We are so proud and happy to have them looking after our [family member].”

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 15 February 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.

This was an ‘inspection using remote technology’. This means we did not visit the office location and instead used technology such as electronic file sharing to gather information, and video and phone calls to engage with people using the service as part of this performance review and assessment.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.