17 June 2015
During a routine inspection
This was an announced inspection carried out on 17 June 2015.
There was a registered manager. 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.
Hales – Lincoln provides care for people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing care for 167 people most of whom were older people. The service covered Lincoln, Grantham and surrounding villages.
Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns so that people were kept safe from harm and abuse. People had been helped to avoid having accidents and medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff and background checks had been completed before new staff were appointed.
Staff had received the training and guidance they needed to provide people with the care they needed including helping them to eat and drink enough. People had been helped to receive all of the healthcare assistance they needed. Staff had ensured that people’s rights were protected. This was because the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice was followed when staff contributed to decisions that were made on their behalf.
People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff recognised people’s right to privacy, respected confidential information and promoted people’s dignity.
People had received all of the care they needed including people who had special communication needs and were at risk of becoming distressed. People had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive and they were supported to celebrate their diversity. Staff had offered people the opportunity to maintain their independence and to pursue their interests.
Some of the quality checks were not robust. The service was not always run in an open and inclusive way that encouraged staff to contribute to its development. People who used the service had been consulted about its development and had benefited from staff being involved in good practice initiatives.