Hunts Mencap Hub

Updated 16 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 checked 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.

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector and took place between 15 and 19 February 2018, and was announced.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

We visited the office location on the 15 February 2018 to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. We spoke with the service manager and five care staff. We looked at four people's care plans, staff training and supervision records. We looked at quality assurance and audit records in relation to, the management of medicines, care plans and people’s feedback about the service. We also looked at two staff recruitment files, people's daily care handover records, complaints and compliments records and accident and incident records. On 19 February 2018 we also contacted two senior care staff by telephone.

As part of our inspection site visit on the 15 February 2018, we spoke with nine people and three relatives. We also observed those people’s care where they were not able to tell us about their care. We also used the feedback from questionnaires completed by eight people using the service, staff and health professionals.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least annually. This provides us with information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to assist us with the planning of this inspection. We also looked at other information we hold about the service. This included information from notifications the provider sent to us. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to send to us by law, such as serious injuries.

Prior to our inspection we contacted local safeguarding authority and commissioners of the service to ask them about their views of the service. These organisations’ views helped us to plan our inspection.

Updated 16 March 2018

Hunts Mencap Hub is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults, younger adults, people living with dementia, people with physical disability, people with autism or learning difficulties and people with a sensory impairment. Not everyone using Hunts Mencap Hub received a regulated activity; Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.

This service also provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented, and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care [and support] service.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At the time of our inspection there were 21 people receiving the regulated activity of personal care.

The announced comprehensive inspection took place between the 15 and 19 February 2018. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

This is the first ratings' inspection of this service since it was registered in January 2017.

A registered manager was in post. 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’s safety was promoted by staff who knew how to do this. Staff knew to whom they could report any concerns they had to. Staff had been safely recruited and there were enough staff to enable people to be safe and independent. Risks to people were considered and guidance was put in place for staff to assist people to be safe. Staff were trained and had the skills they needed to meet people’s assessed care and support needs.

Trained and competent staff administered people’s medicines safely. Appropriate hygiene policies and procedures were in place that protected people from the risk of cross contamination. Systems and processes were in place that enabled the provider to take on-board any learning when things did not go as planned.

People were supported with their nutritional and health care requirements. Staff worked with external stakeholders who were also involved in people’s care. People’s homes and the equipment they used was adapted to meet their needs.

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.

People were cared for by staff who showed compassion as well as giving people their privacy and showing people the respect they deserved. People lived as independently as they wanted to and staff knew each person well and how to meet their preferences. People’s care records accurately reflected the person’s care needs and how these were met in a person centred way. People were treated equally no matter what their needs were.

Concerns were acted upon before they became a complaint. People were given accessible ways to raise concerns. Staff had limited information and guidance should any person need end of life care. This created the potential for inconsistencies in the way people would be cared for or supported should they need this.

There was an open, honest culture that had been established by the registered manager. Staff were aware of the standard of care that was expected.

People, relatives and staff contributed to developing the service and they had a say in how the service was run. Quality assurance, audit and governance systems were effective in driving forward improvement.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.