Archived: Hambleton Grange

At the time of this inspection there were 49 people living at the home. Due to their health conditions and complex needs not all people were able to share their views about the service that they received, but we did speak with 20 people. We observed their experiences to support our inspection. We spoke with the registered manager, seven care staff, two relatives and a district nurse.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we observed, the records we looked at and what people who used the service, their relatives and the staff told us.

Is the service safe?

All the people we spoke with told us that they felt safe. Safeguarding procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported. One person told us, 'I feel safe here. I am sure I wouldn't suffer any abuse. If there was anything I was unhappy with I would talk to the staff.' Another person told us, 'I feel safe here, the staff are so kind.' All the relatives we spoke with told us they felt their relatives were safe at the home, one of them told us, 'I am very happy with the service. If there was anything I was worried about I would go straight to the manager.'

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards which applies to care homes. The registered manager understood the home's responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). A deprivation of liberty application had been submitted to the local authority regarding one person. Following a recent court ruling regarding DoLS in care settings, the provider may wish to review people's living arrangements to check whether their circumstances may amount to a deprivation of liberty, according to the revised definition.

Is the service effective?

One person told us, 'I am very happy here. The staff help me with my independence which is very important to me.' Another person told us, 'I am very comfortable. The staff are on call day and night. I can press my buzzer and they will help.'

People explained how their care and welfare needs were met. All people told us that they had support with health appointments and felt that the service was flexible. One person told us, 'Staff are good. They help me on days when I am not feeling very well. I can stay in my room and have my meals there when I need to.' All the people we spoke with told us that staff always asked them if they needed help or assistance and provided this when necessary.

Each staff member we spoke with told us they felt supported in their work. They told us they received a full training programme and had regular supervision and appraisals. One person told us, 'We work very much as a staff team. We have regular staff meetings. We have all completed or are about to start NVQ's in Health and Social Care. (National Vocational Qualifications).' They all told us that they felt supported by the registered manager and could approach them at any time for support or to raise any issues or concerns or suggestions.

Is the service caring?

We saw that staff communicated well with people and were able to explain things in a way that could be easily understood. People were not rushed when care was delivered and we saw that staff interactions with people were caring. All the people we spoke with said they felt the care was very good. One person told us, 'The staff are most obliging; they are generally very kind to me.' They are very caring. We are always involved in care reviews, I have no worries.'

We saw that staff treated people with respect and dignity. One person told us, 'Staff are respectful and very kind.' We saw that people were given choices in relation to their care. Both people and their relatives told us they were very happy with the care they received.

Is the service responsive?

All the people we spoke with told us that staff would respond to any of their requests for support. One person told us, 'If I am poorly during the night the night staff will come in and check on me to see if I am alright.' Another person told us, 'It's pretty good here. I can get up when I want, if I need help I ask the staff.'

All the relatives told us that they were very happy with the service.

Some of the people we spoke with told us they were involved in decisions about their care. They said that staff were flexible and responded to their requests promptly. One person told us, 'We like to make cups of teas. We feel that our independence is encouraged.' We saw that staff responded to people's requests for help in a timely manner.

We saw that there was a complaints policy at the home. People told us they found the manager very approachable and would not hesitate to raise any issues or complaints.

People's care needs had been reviewed at least every six months. We saw that when people's requirements had changed the provider had responded appropriately and altered the care and support they delivered in line with these changes. Care records had been updated to reflect the person's current needs.

People's preferences, interests, aspirations and diverse needs had been recorded and care and support had been provided in accordance with people's wishes.

Is the service well-led?

We spoke with the registered manager. They showed us that there was an effective system to regularly assess the quality of service that people received. We found that the views and opinions of people, relatives and staff had been regularly gathered, recorded, analysed and responded to.

We saw the home had systems in place that ensured managers and staff learnt from any accidents, complaints, whistleblowing reports or investigations. This helped reduce the risks to people and helped the service to continually improve.

Staff told us they understood their roles and responsibilities. Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the service and quality assurance processes were in place. This helped to ensure that people could receive good quality care at all times.