Archived: Human Support Group Limited - Heywood

The Human Support Group Limited is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection care was being provided to 87 people.

On our last inspection on 26 January 2015 the service was rated as Good; on this inspection we found the service remained Good. The registered manager and staff understood their role and responsibilities to keep people safe from harm. Risks were assessed and plans put in place to keep people safe. Checks were carried out on staff to assess their suitability to support vulnerable people.

Staff received regular supervision and the training needed to meet people's needs. The registered manager and staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and, worked to ensure people's rights were respected.

The service was responsive and people received individualised care and support. People were encouraged to make their views known and the service responded by making changes. The registered manager said they welcomed comments and complaints and saw them as an opportunity to improve the care provided.

The vision, values and culture of the service were clearly communicated to and understood by staff. A quality assurance system was in place. This meant the quality of service people received was monitored on a regular basis and where shortfalls were identified they were acted upon.

People were cared for by staff who knew them well. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. Care was taken to ensure care staff were able to communicate with people using their preferred language. The manager and staff had a good understanding of equality, diversity and human rights.

We carried out an inspection on 7 January 2014 and spoke on the telephone with a further 34 people who use the services and two relatives to gather their views.

All the people we spoke with told us the staff treated people with respect and made sure their dignity was maintained. Everyone we spoke with told us the staff helped to maintain people's independence where possible. Comments included 'The staff help me shower and always treat me with care' and 'The staff do all I ask, even post letters for me at times'.

All the people we spoke with confirmed they were involved in their care options and were able to contribute to discussion about the way in which the service was provided to them.

There were positive comments about the staff. The people we spoke with told us 'I am happy with the care, the staff support and care is excellent', 'Can't fault any of the staff, I have a laugh with them' and 'The staff understand what my needs are'.

Appropriate quality monitoring and auditing processes were in place to provide consistent care. The people we spoke with told us the staff generally arrived on time and there were very few missed calls.

Staff had not received training on application of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This would help them determine if people had the capacity to make informed decisions about their care, treatment and support.

We saw that care plans and risk assessments were in place. Care and support needs were identified but there was little person centred information recorded, for example, about their preferences. We were told that care plans were regularly reviewed. One person using the service told us they were 'happy' with their care plan and said 'it covers what is required'.

We saw that recent complaints had involved concerns about medication. We found documents relating to people taking their medication that were unclear or incomplete. A number of staff had not received any refresher training on medication since their induction which was over two years ago.

People told us that they were 'very happy with the service' and the care workers were a 'great group of people'. There was a clear recruitment process in place. Staff and people using the service confirmed that, where possible, their care needs were met by the same core group of staff for continuity.

We saw evidence that an effective complaints system was in place.