Archived: HF Trust - Pound Lane - Herts and Essex DCA

At the time of our inspection there were 17 people living in the residential part of the service which was split across four separate cottages. There were also 25 people receiving personal care in their own homes.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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 were supported by staff who consistently displayed understanding, empathy and warmth in their interactions with people. People consistently told us and our observations confirmed that staff had developed meaningful relationships with people. Staff had an enhanced knowledge about the people they cared for and understood how to meet their needs because they had a genuine interest in getting to know the people they worked with. Feedback from people and their relatives about the care they received was exceptionally complimentary acknowledging the exemplary approach of staff. The kindness, thoughtfulness and approach from staff consistently exceeded people’s expectations of how they would be cared for and supported.

Staff were passionate about their job and highly motivated to provide consistently excellent care to people. Staff found ways to support people creatively and give people the support they needed in order to achieve their own personal aspirations. People spoke about the positive impact this has on the way they are cared for, and this was reflected in the feedback we received from people living in the service.

People were treated with dignity and respect and there was a genuine ethos that people should be treated as equals. People were treated in a dignified manner with regard to personal interactions with staff, as well as having their rights upheld, such as the right to a particular religious belief, or the right to get married.

People were safeguarded from harm as the provider had systems in place to prevent, recognise and report concerns to the relevant authorities. Staff were confident in recognising and raising concerns if they felt people were at risk.

Staff knew their responsibilities as defined by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA 2005) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and had applied that knowledge appropriately. People were supported to make decisions for themselves and their consent was actively sought by staff.

There were sufficient numbers of experienced staff that were supported to carry out their roles to meet the assessed needs of people using the service. Staff received training in areas that enabled them to understand and meet the care needs of each person. Recruitment procedures protected people from receiving unsafe care from care staff unsuited to the role.

People’s care and support needs were continually monitored and reviewed to ensure that care was provided in the way that they needed. People had been involved in planning and reviewing their care when they wanted to.

People were supported to have sufficient amounts to eat and drink to maintain a balanced diet. Staff monitored people’s health and well-being and ensured people had access to healthcare professionals when required.

People’s needs were met in line with their individual care plans and assessed needs. Staff took time to get to know people and ensured that people’s care was tailored to their individual needs. People were actively supported to pursue their interests and to make and maintain relationships.

People were listened to, respected by staff and had their views acted upon. Staff exceeded people’s expectations in the caring support that they provided.

People had the information they needed to make a complaint and the service had processes in place to respond to any complaints.

People were supported by a team of staff that had the managerial guidance and support they needed to carry out their roles. The quality of the service was monitored by the audits regularly carried out by the manager and by the provider.

We found that the service acted in accordance with legal requirements when people did not have the capacity to consent. The relative of one person receiving this service said, 'I think HF Trust generally gets the balance right between helping [name] to make their own decisions and making decisions on [name's] behalf.'

People's needs were assessed effectively and care was planned and delivered in a way that ensured their safety and welfare. One person told us that they got everything they needed from the staff and said, 'They [staff] are all good people. They do what I need.' The relative of one person receiving the domiciliary service told us, 'They have looked after [my relative] very well. There is nothing that [they] don't get if [they] need it.'

We found that there were appropriate arrangements in place to administer and store medicines. People's medicine records were accurate and up-to-date.

People were cared for by staff who were properly supported to deliver care safely and to an appropriate standard. This was because staff received regular training that was relevant to their role and were supported through an effective supervision programme.

The provider operated an effective system to monitor the quality of the service that involved a review of people support plans. The provider also took account of the views of people and their relatives.

We inspected the service on 29 January 2013 and found that the risk assessments for people who lived at the home and for people who received services in their homes had been reviewed. We saw that care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that ensured people's safety and welfare. The care plans that we looked at were very detailed and person centred. There were detailed assessments of the risks posed to the person and the measures currently in place to reduce the risk of harm arising from them had been identified.