Hatfield Haven

Updated 10 October 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

This inspection took place 8 August 2017. It was unannounced and was carried out by two inspectors and an 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 service.

We reviewed all the information we had available about the service, including notifications sent to us by the provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We used this information to plan what areas we were going to focus on during our inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with three people that used the service, four relatives, seven staff, the manager and one visiting healthcare professional.

We used a method called Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). This involved observing staff interactions with people in their care during the inspection. SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We observed how staff interacted with people who lived at the home. We observed how people were supported during meal times and during individual tasks and activities.

We reviewed six people’s care records, six staff recruitment records, medication charts, staffing rotas and records which related to how the service monitored staffing levels and the quality of the service. We also looked at information which related to the management of the service such as health and safety records, quality monitoring audits and records of complaints.

Updated 10 October 2017

The inspection took place on 8 August 2017 and was unannounced.

Hatfield Haven provides accommodation and personal care for up to 22 older people some who may be living with dementia. Care is provided on two floors. At the time of our visit there were 21 people living in the service.

Since the last inspection a new manager has been appointed. They told us that they had applied to CQC to be registered. 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.

When we last visited the service in 2015 we found that improvements needed to be made. During this inspection we found the provider and registered manager management team had made improvements.

People spoke positively about the service and the care that was provided. They told us they were listened to and staff were kind and caring.

People told us that they felt safe. Staff were clear about what was abuse and the steps that they should take to protect people. The likelihood of harm was reduced as risks to people’s health and welfare was assessed. Risk assessments guided staff in how to reduce the risks and keep people safe.

Checks were undertaken on staff suitability for the role and there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet the needs of the people living in the service.

The administration of medicines was safe. Staff had been trained in the administration of medicines and had up to date policies and procedures to follow. Their competency was checked regularly.

New staff received induction training to provide them with the skills to care for people. Staff files showed staff had undertaken sufficient training to meet the needs of people and they were supervised regularly to check their competence. However, staff needed to improve their knowledge and understanding around supporting people living with dementia. Staff were supported and supervision sessions gave staff the opportunity to discuss their work and identify any necessary training.

People who lived in the home were positive about the quality of the food and our observations were that people enjoyed their meals.

People had access to healthcare professionals and appointments were documented with outcomes implemented in care plans. We found staff had responded promptly when people had experienced health problems.

Quality assurance systems were in place however, they were not yet fully effective as they had not identified some of the areas that we found where improvements needed to be made. People and relatives were encouraged to give their views about the service. A complaints procedure was available and people knew who to speak to if they had a concern.

The new manager was approachable and promoted an open culture.