Harelands House

Updated 6 March 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 inspection took place on 16 and 17 January 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because we wanted to make sure the registered manager and staff would be available to speak with us. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care 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.

Before the inspection we looked at previous inspection reports and notifications received from the provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR) before the inspection. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, this tells us what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. We used this information to help plan the inspection.

We spoke with six relatives, the registered manager and six care staff members. People who used the service were unable to communicate with us although we saw from their body language and replies they could make that they were happy using the service.

During our inspection we observed the support provided by staff in communal areas of the home. We looked at the care and medicines administration records for three people who used the service. We also looked at the recruitment, training and supervision records for four members of staff, minutes of meetings and a variety of other records related to the management of the service.

Updated 6 March 2018

Harelands House offers short-term support accommodation to people over the age of 18 who have a learning disability. They provide respite to parents and carers of people who are cared for in their own home. Harelands House is adapted to meet the needs of profoundly disabled individuals. Admissions to the home are usually planned but the service can also be provided if an emergency arises. There are a number of communal areas including a lounge, a dining room and a garden. Parking is available to the side of the property. The service has 82 people who have access to the service. Three people were accommodated at the home on the days of the inspection.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. 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. However, the service improved to outstanding in well-led.

The inspection took place on 16 and 17 January 2018 and was announced in line with our guidance to ensure staff were present at the service.

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The manager had been in post since October 2014.

Staff were consistently kind, caring and supportive and although most often they only supported people for a short period of time had developed positive relationships with people who used the service and their families.

The views of people who used the service were sought regularly using people’s own individual communication methods.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff also supported family members, for instance the service could take people if there was an emergency to ensure their care was maintained. Staff tried as much as possible to ensure that when people came into the service they followed their routines and activities they normally did at home.

The registered manager and staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and worked to ensure people's rights were respected.

Staff were supported to undertake their roles and had incentives to perform better. Staff also received induction, training and supervision relevant to their roles. This ensured they had sufficient knowledge to meet people’s needs.

Managers at the home and head office audited systems to help maintain and improve performance.

There were safe systems in place for the storage and disposal of medicines. Staff received training in how to administer medicines and had their competency in this area assessed.

People received individual care packages which took account of their needs which were mainly a learning disability or Autism. Staff were trained in the care of people with these conditions and how to safely de-escalate any behaviours that challenge. There was also the provision of equipment such as track hoists for people with mobility issues.