We carried out an inspection of Hazelwood Homecare Limited on 4 and 5 May 2016. This was the first inspection of this service. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice to ensure the registered manager would be available when we visited. Hazelwood Homecare Limited is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides personal care and support to adults with a variety of needs including older people, people living with dementia, people with mental ill health, physical disabilities or a terminal illness. The agency’s office is located in Rossendale in East Lancashire. At the time of our visits the service was providing support to 91people.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager 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.
During our inspection people told us they felt safe when staff supported them. One person told us, “I always feel safe. The staff always know what they’re doing”. Staff had a good understanding of how to safeguard vulnerable adults from abuse and what action to take if they suspected abuse was taking place.
We saw evidence that staff had been recruited safely. They received an appropriate induction, effective training and regular supervision. Staff told us they felt well supported by the registered manager.
We found that people’s medicines were managed safely and people told us they received their medicines when they should. People were supported with the healthcare needs and were referred to healthcare professionals when appropriate.
People told us they were happy with the service they received from Hazelwood Homecare Limited. One person told us, “I’m very happy with the care. There haven’t been any problems”. People told us staff arrived on time and stayed for the full duration of the visit. People were involved in planning their care. Where people lacked the capacity to make decisions about their care, their relatives were involved.
People told us the staff who supported them were caring. One person said, “I have the same carer and she’s very caring. She does extra things that aren’t on the list for her to do”. People told us staff respected their privacy and dignity when providing care and encouraged them to be independent.
Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and supported people to make everyday decisions about their care.
People were asked to give feedback about the service they received in annual questionnaires. We saw evidence that the registered manager used the feedback received to improve the service.
People told us they were happy with the way the service was being managed. One relative told us, “The service is well managed. We’ve had no concerns but I would ring if anything was wrong”.
We saw evidence that staff practice was observed regularly and checks were made of the care records they completed. These checks were effective in ensuring that appropriate levels of care and safety were maintained.