We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Hadlows on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Hadlows, you can give feedback on this service.
The Hadlows is a residential care home providing personal care to seven people with an acquired brain injury. An acquired brain injury (ABI) is an injury caused to the brain since birth. An ABI can result in people having complex long-term problems affecting their personality, relationships and ability to lead an independent life. The service can support up to nine people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People said they were supported in the right way, so they could do the things that they wanted. This included cooking, gaining employment and visiting places of interest. People were encouraged to be independent and were involved in planning and cooking meals. Mealtimes were social occasions where people and staff sat together, and people helped with the preparation.
Everyone said that staff knew them well and that they enjoyed talking to and spending time with them. Guidance was available for staff to follow about how to meet people’s health, social and personal care needs.
People told us that staff reminded them to make sure they attended medical appointments. People’s health needs were met through developing partnership working with a range of health care professionals. People continued to receive their medicines as prescribed.
Staff received ongoing training and support to ensure they had the necessary skills and knowledge to meet people’s individual needs. People said there were always staff available to support them when they needed.
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.
The service continued to be well led. Everyone benefitted from an open and inclusive culture where lessons were learned to provide good outcomes for people. One professional told us, “The whole team and particularly the registered manager, have been instrumental in providing a safe, responsive, empathic and client centred environment where my client has flourished”.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection: The last rating for this service was Good (published 25 January 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
The Hadlows is registered to provide accommodation with nursing or personal care for up to 10 people. There were nine people living at the home on the day of our inspection.
The Hadlows supported people who had an acquired brain injury, many of whom had lived at the home for a number of years. People had varying care and support needs, some requiring staff support for most of their needs and others who needed relatively minimal support.
The Hadlows is situated in a residential area in Tonbridge and has recently been refurbished. The service previously consisted of two houses next door to each other. The property had been redeveloped to create one large house. Four bedrooms had en-suite facilities and the other five people shared two bathrooms between them. The communal living space was light and airy with good facilities to enable people to share each other’s company or to have privacy if they wished. A private back garden had a decked patio area with well-kept shrubs and borders.
There was a registered manager based 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 in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People were encouraged and supported to be as independent as possible. They were involved in all aspects of the home, from planning and cooking meals to choosing how they furnished and decorated their bedroom or what activities and interests they wanted to take part in.
People were fully involved in the assessment and planning of their care and support, deciding how they wanted staff to support them. Their relatives were also involved where appropriate and if people wanted this. Individual risks were identified when planning people’s care and control measures put in place to manage risks, keeping people safe from harm without compromising their independence.
Medicines were managed safely. The processes in place ensured that the administration and handling of medicines was suitable for the people who lived in the home. Some people administered their own medicines and they were supported to be able to continue to do this safely.
People had choice and control over food planning and preparation. Where people had specific nutritional support needs, these were assessed and managed well. People were supported to access health care professionals to be able to maintain their physical and mental well-being.
The provider and registered manager had suitable processes in place to safeguard people from different forms of abuse. Staff had been trained in safeguarding people and in the provider’s whistleblowing policy. They were confident that they could raise any matters of concern with the registered manager and these would be acted on. Staff knew they could go outside of their organisation and raise concerns with the local authority safeguarding team if necessary.
There were sufficient staff with a mix of skills on duty to support people with their needs. Staff attended regular training courses, including regular refresher training. Staff were supported by their registered manager and felt able to raise any concerns they had or to make suggestions to improve the service for people.
The provider and registered manager had robust recruitment practices in place. Applicants were assessed as suitable for their job roles. All staff received induction training at the start of their employment and had to pass a probationary period to show they were suitable for the role.
The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The provider and staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
The home had a pleasant atmosphere where people were comfortable and confident in their environment. Staff were happy in their work and were chatty and relaxed.
People had individual plans to support them to engage in activities both inside and outside of the home. Some people could go outside of the home on their own and were supported and encouraged to maintain their independence.
People knew how to complain and were given information how to do this and who to should they need to. The registered manager dealt quickly and appropriately with complaints. The provider monitored the type of complaints, the responses made and ensured their procedure was adhered to.
Staff were well supported, through supervision and appraisal as well as staff meetings. Communication was good and people, relatives and staff spoke highly of the registered manager and their management of the service.
There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw that various audits had been undertaken throughout the year. The registered manager and provider regularly assessed and monitored the quality of care to ensure standards were met and maintained.