Healey Care Limited

Updated 12 April 2018

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.

The inspection of Healey Care Limited took place on 6 and 7 March 2018. The inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small service and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form the provider completes to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The provider returned the PIR within the agreed timeframe and we took the information provided into account when we made the judgements in this report.

In preparation for our visit, we reviewed information that we held about the service such as notifications (events which happened in the home that the provider is required to tell us about) and information that had been sent to us by other agencies, including the local authority’s quality assurance team. We received feedback from one community professional.

In addition, we sent satisfaction questionnaires to two support staff and to five community professionals; we received two completed questionnaires from support staff. No questionnaires were returned from community professionals.

During our inspection, we visited the office location and also visited five people living in two of the three houses, supported by the service. We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people who used the service. We observed interaction between people using the service and support staff. We spoke with three family members. We also spoke with five support staff, one team leader and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. These included three people’s care files, three people’s medicines records, staff training records, three staff recruitment files, staff supervision and appraisal records, quality assurance audits, meeting minutes, a sample of policies and procedures, accident reports and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 12 April 2018

We carried out an announced inspection of Healey Care Limited on 6 and 7 March 2018.

Healey Care Limited provides care and support to people living in three supported living settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. The care service had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion to ensure people with learning disabilities and autism can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. At the time of the inspection, there were seven people using the service.

At our last inspection of 16 December 2015 we rated the service good. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Staff had excellent relationships with people; people were happy and relaxed in each of the houses. People’s rights to privacy, dignity, and freedom of choice were firmly embedded into the culture of the service. Staff embraced people's diversity and this was reflected in the support plans we saw. People and their relatives, where appropriate, had been consulted about their care and support needs and were kept up to date with any changes. Support plans and risk assessments were very detailed and provided staff with excellent guidance on how to meet people’s needs.

People had been consulted about their aspirations for the future; staff had taken appropriate action to help people develop and take small steps to achieve their dreams and ambitions. Each person, where possible, had been involved in the development of their own support plans and risk assessments which provided clear guidance for staff on how to meet their needs and preferences. Care and support was focused on people's wishes and preferences and people were supported to be as independent as possible in all aspects of their lives.

Everyone, without exception, was very complimentary about the service. They told us the service was well managed and very much family run. Since the last inspection the provider and the providers' family members had become more involved in the service; they were known and were a visible presence in the service. Staff told us they enjoyed working in the service. The registered manager monitored the quality of the service and listened to people’s views. The registered manager used the feedback to make improvements to the service.

People were protected from the risk of social isolation and were supported to live full and active lives and use local services and facilities. Activities were provided both inside and outside the wider service. Activities were meaningful, varied, and personal to people’s requirements and in line with their wishes and aspirations. There were excellent facilities within the wider service for people to meet with their friends, family and the local community such as a service user led forum that met regularly to suggest and drive forward improvements and developments to the service and a social centre, which held evening and daytime activities, events and entertainments for people, their families and friends. These services had been developed and improved since the last inspection to provide people with more access to appropriate, meaningful and safe activities. People were aware of how they could raise a complaint or concern if they needed to and had access to a complaints procedure.

We observed excellent relationships between people and observed the management team and staff interacting with people in a caring, good humoured and friendly manner. Management and staff demonstrated exceptional insight and understanding of people’s personal values and needs. People were happy and relaxed with staff. People said they felt safe and staff treated them well. We observed staff interaction with people was friendly, patient and encouraging. Safeguarding adults’ procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported from abuse.

Appropriate recruitment checks were completed before staff started work. Staff received a wide range of appropriate learning and development and new staff completed an in depth induction when they started work. There were enough staff available to meet people's care and support needs in a flexible way.

People's medicines were managed appropriately and safely. People were encouraged to follow a healthy diet; they were consulted about the food provided which helped ensure their dietary preferences and needs were considered. People were supported to access health care professionals when needed.

The registered manager and staff understood the principles associated with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and acted in accordance with this legislation. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.