Background to this inspection
Updated
24 April 2019
The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: The inspection was completed by one inspector and one 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.
Service and service type: Management HQ Headway, provides a domiciliary care service for people living in their own homes who have an acquired brain injury.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection: We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available.
Inspection activity started on 13 February 2019 and ended on 25 February 2019. We visited the office location on 13 February 2019 to meet with the management team, office staff and to review care records, policies and procedures. This was followed up with a telephone interview with the registered manager on 25 February 2019.
What we did: We asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR.) This is key information providers are required to send about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
We looked at notifications received from the service. A notification is a record about important events, which the provider is required to send us by law.
We contacted the local authority safeguarding team and Healthwatch to gain their views. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
During the inspection we met with one person who used the service and one relative. We spoke on the telephone with 11 people who used the service and five relatives.
We spoke to the registered manager, deputy manager, assistant manager, three office staff, two support workers, the chair of trustees and a fundraising officer. We also sought and gained feedback from nine support workers in the form of a survey.
We reviewed a range of records. These included two people's care and support plans, medicines records, staff recruitment files for two people and the providers training records. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.
Updated
24 April 2019
About the service: Management HQ Headway provides care and support for people living in their own homes who have acquired brain injuries. At the time of the inspection there were 16 people receiving support with personal care from the provider.
People’s experience of using this service: People and their relatives were extremely happy with the care and support they received from the provider.
The management team and staff developed strong relationships with people and their relatives to ensure they received the right support to improve their quality of life.
People told us they felt safe whilst being supported by staff. Relatives were confident family members were well cared for. The provider supported people with complex needs to live independently in their own homes and to be as independent as possible whilst ensuring they remained safe and well. There was a proactive approach to assessing and managing risk which allowed people to rebuild their life following an acquired brain injury.
The provider promoted an extremely high standard of person centred care which was delivered through the assessment and planning of people's individual and specific needs. Care plans were extremely detailed and informative yet highly personal. They clearly identified the positive outcomes and goals people wished to achieve.
Staff were highly skilled, motivated and knowledgeable in the care and support required for people with an acquired brain injury. They provided flexible care and support in line with a person's needs and wishes. The staff team was consistent and people achieved positive outcomes which exceeded expectations. Staff worked alongside other family members and a range of professionals to provide people with a better quality of life, supporting them to develop in areas such as communication, social interaction and independence.
Medicines systems were organised and people were receiving their medicines when they should. The provider was following national guidance for the receipt, storage, administration, prompting and disposal of medicines.
People were involved in all decisions about the care they received. People had 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.
The provider was open and approachable which allowed people to share their views and raise concerns. People told us if they were worried about anything they would be comfortable to talk with staff or the management team.
The management structure in the service ensured people and staff had access to, and support from, a competent management team and specialist advisors. The provider monitored quality, sought people's views and planned ongoing improvements.
Rating at last inspection: Good (Report published July 2016).
Why we inspected: We inspected the service as part of our inspection schedule for ‘Good’ rated services.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk