Hope House

Updated 22 June 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 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 comprehensive inspection took place on 29 and 30 May 2018. The first day of the inspection was unannounced. On the first day of the inspection, the team consisted of two adult social care inspectors and a specialist advisor who was a registered nurse. The second day of the inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector and an assistant inspector.

The provider submitted a completed Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

In preparation for our visit, we looked at previous inspection reports, notifications (events which happened in the home that the provider is required to tell us about) and information that had been sent to us by other agencies, including the local authority’s contract monitoring team.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people who used the service. We spoke with six people who lived in the home, a relative and two community based health professionals who visited the home on the first day of the inspection. We undertook observations in public areas of the home at various times during the inspection, including the lunch time period and undertook a tour of the building. We also spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, the registered nurse on duty on the first day of the inspection, two members of care staff, the head chef and a domestic. In addition, on the second day of the inspection we observed the daily heads of department meeting.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and the way the service was managed. These included the care records for six people, medicine administration records, staff training records, four staff recruitment files, staff supervision and appraisal records, minutes from meetings, quality assurance audits, incident and accident reports, complaints and compliments records and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 22 June 2018

An unannounced inspection was carried out at Hope House on 29 and 30 May 2018.

Hope House is a purpose built care home located in a residential area in Clayton Le Moors close to local amenities. The home is registered to provide accommodation and personal care and nursing care for up 42 people. Accommodation is offered in single rooms on both floors of the home.

At our last inspection in April 2016 we rated the service ‘Good’. However, we identified one breach of the regulations. This was because the provider had failed to operate a safe system in relation to the handing of medicines. Following the inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when, to improve the key question of ‘Safe’ to at least good. At this inspection, we found the provider had made the necessary improvements to the way medicines were managed.

At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of ‘Good’ and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Required improvements had been made to the way medicines were handled in the service. We noted minor issues regarding the recording of when prescribed creams had been administered. However, there was no negative impact on people who lived in the home and the registered manager took immediate action to rectify the issues found.

People told us they were safe in Hope House and that staff were kind, caring and respectful towards them; our observations during the inspection supported this view.

Staff understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse. They had a good understanding of people’s needs and preferences and supported people to be as independent as possible.

Staff had been safely recruited. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to be able to meet people’s needs in a timely manner and to spend time with people throughout the day.

Risks to people’s health, safety and welfare were managed well. People were cared for in a safe and clean environment.

The staff team received appropriate support and training and felt valued and respected by the registered manager.

People enjoyed a varied diet and changes in their health were monitored and acted on.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Each person had a series of care plans related to their individual needs; these provided clear guidance on how their needs and preferences would be met. People were supported to be as independent as possible.

People's rights to privacy, dignity, independence and choice were respected; communication was good between people who lived in the home, relatives and staff.

A range of activities were provided to promote people’s sense of well-being. People had opportunities to provide feedback on the care they received.

Staff told us they enjoyed working in the home. All the staff we spoke with demonstrated a commitment to providing high quality care to people.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. The managers in the service had a clear drive for continuous service improvement.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.