We carried out a review of the data available to us about Hallam Homecare Services Ltd 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 Hallam Homecare Services Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Hallam Healthcare Care Limited is a service providing care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support to 14 people, but only 4 of those were receiving support with personal care. As the Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not regulate domestic support, this inspection relates only to people receiving the regulated activity of personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
At our last inspection we found people did not have risk assessments in place, to ensure that potential risks to people were managed and minimised. At this inspection we found people’s care and support was planned and delivered in a way that ensured it met their needs and reflected their preferences. The care records we looked at included risk assessments. They had been devised to help minimise and monitor the risks, while promoting the person’s independence.
People told us the service was safe. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns about people’s safety and welfare. Robust recruitment procedures helped to protect people against the risk of being supported by unsuitable staff.
People were supported by staff who were kind and caring. Staff were dedicated to ensuring people experienced the best possible care and support. People’s equality and diversity needs, and preferences were respected.
Relatives were happy with the support offered and felt very comfortable with all staff who were flexible, understanding and sensitive to people’s needs. Staff clearly knew people well. Privacy and dignity were promoted and respected. Support was person-centred, and people had access to a range of activities.
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.
Staff received training, supervision and appraisal which supported them to have the knowledge and skills to do their job well and effectively meet people’s needs.
Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink and to access healthcare services when they needed. They telephoned for doctors or nurses to attend to a person if they were unwell.
People were treated with respect by staff who showed compassion and understanding. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and encouraged people to be as independent as possible.
People knew how to complain and were confident the registered manager would resolve their concerns.
People who used the service, relatives and staff could express their views about the service which were acted upon. The management team provided leadership that gained the respect of staff and motivated them as a team.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and make improvements when needed.
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 29 November 2018) and the provider was in breach of one regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
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.
There was a manager at the service who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Hallam Homecare Services Ltd was registered with CQC in October 2017. The registered manager told us the service started supporting people in December 2017.This was the service’s first inspection.
At this inspection we found the registered provider was in breach of one regulation.
The person who used the service told us they felt safe. At the time of the inspection there were no recorded safeguarding concerns. The management team knew how to identify and report suspected abuse and had clear systems in place which ensured safety and legal standards were met. Systems were in place to manage medicines in a safe way.
Feedback obtained during the inspection showed people received appropriate care and support. However, we found areas of risk which were not effectively managed or mitigated against, such as not always completing a relevant risk assessment when a risk had been identified.
The person who used the service said staff were well-trained and on-time for care calls. Staff told us they felt supported by the management team. However, we saw the registered provider was not following their own supervision policy. Feedback showed support was provided by the same staff which promoted good continuity of care. The management team were exceptionally caring and we saw clear evidence they listened to people and staff. We saw care records contained limited details about special dietary requirements and food and drink preferences.
We saw evidence of a collaborative approach to planning people’s care and support. The person who received a service told us they were provided with a copy of their care plans which was reflective of their needs. We saw the service had received no complaints since they began operating. At the time of our inspection, the service was not supporting anyone who required end of life care.
During the inspection we received very positive feedback about the service. They said the service was well-run and the management team were approachable and friendly. We found the registered provider had some systems in place to evaluate and improve the quality and safety of the services provided. However, they were not always sufficiently robust and had not identified some shortfalls in the service highlighted in the body of the report.