Archived: Hales Group Limited - Lowestoft

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staffing arrangements did not always ensure care workers were available to consistently respond to people's assessed needs, and some people experienced late or missed visits. This was in the process of being addressed by the registered manager, and we have made a recommendation.

People were not consistently provided with rotas which gave them details of who would be visiting them for their care visit, and at what time of the day. This left some people feeling anxious and unclear about arrangements. We have made a recommendation about this.

Systems and processes designed to improve the provision of care were not yet fully embedded, which impacted on people receiving care which was responsive to their assessed needs. Staff told us they felt time constraints impacted on their ability to arrive at the next visit on time. We have made a recommendation about this.

A complaints procedure was in place. People’s concerns and complaints were listened to and addressed in a timely manner, however, we found one example where concerns had not been addressed, and feedback received in relation to missed and late visits suggests that this continues to be an area for on-going improvement.

Care workers were knowledgeable of the safeguarding reporting procedures and knew how to respond to any abuse. Staff recruitment systems were robust which ensured that new staff were suitable for their role.

Risk assessments were in place which identified specific risks to people and hazards in their home environment. These were regularly updated.

Care workers understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), and gained people's consent before they provided care. People told us they were encouraged to make choices about their daily lives.

People received the support they required to take their medicines. People were supported to maintain good health and have access to relevant healthcare services.

People told us that care workers were kind and compassionate to them. Care workers were knowledgeable about the needs of the people they supported and helped them to be as independent as possible. They also treated people with dignity and respect.

Care workers were trained in subjects relevant to the people they were caring for, and there was an induction plan for new care workers which ensured they were confident to perform their role.

There were quality assurance systems in place which included feedback from people using the service to help the service know where improvement was required.

People told us that the care workers treated them with respect and kindness. One person said, 'They are all very good.' Another person said, "I like them all.' People's relatives confirmed this. One said, "I can't fault any of them." Another said, "They are all nice and polite."

We saw the care records of 13 people who used the service and found that people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.

We looked at the personnel records of five care workers which showed that they were trained and supported to meet the needs of the people who used the service. We found that the recruitment procedures and checks ensured that care workers were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Two care workers told us that they were supported in their role and provided with the training that they needed.

There were systems to assess and monitor the quality of the service that was provided. We found that concerns and complaints were addressed in a timely manner.