Archived: HF Trust - Bedfordshire DCA

Updated 14 December 2016

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.

An inspection visit took place on 8 November 2016 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The visit was carried out by one inspector. An Expert by Experience made telephone calls to people who used the service, their relatives and members of staff on 10 and 11 November 2016. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed the information available to us, such as notifications and information provided by the public or staff. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we spoke with one person who used the service, a relative of another person who used the service, a senior support worker, the manager and the former registered manager. We reviewed the care records and risk assessments for the two people who received the regulated activity of personal care. We looked at staff recruitment, training and supervision records. We also reviewed information on how the quality of the service was monitored and managed.

Updated 14 December 2016

This inspection visit took place on 8 November 2016 and this was followed by telephone interviews with people who used the service, their relatives and members of staff on 10 and 11 November 2016. The visit was announced as we needed to be sure that somebody would be in the office.

At the time of our inspection the service provided personal care and support for up to seven people with a learning disability within a supported living scheme. People lived in separate accommodation within a small radius of each other. Some of the accommodation was rented, but one person owned their home. Only two people were being supported with personal care.

The service had a registered manager but their registration had been cancelled the day before our inspection as they had taken up a new post in the provider’s organisation. A new manager had been appointed and had made an application to become 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. The former registered manager had continued to support the service throughout the new manager’s induction period.

People had been involved in determining the level of support that they required and how this was to be provided to them. Regular reviews were held with people by staff with key responsibility for their support to ensure that the support provided continued to meet their needs.

People were safe and the provider had effective systems in place to protect them from harm. They were supported to access other healthcare professionals to maintain their health and well-being and were encouraged to be as independent as possible. They were assisted to maintain their interests and hobbies and to develop new skills. They were aware of the provider’s complaints system and information about this and other aspects of the service was available in an easy read format. People were encouraged to contribute to the development of the service and to develop links with the local community.

Staff were well trained. They understood and complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). They were supported by way of regular supervision and appraisal. They were caring and promoted people’s privacy and dignity. Staff were encouraged to contribute to the development of the service and were aware of their roles and responsibilities.

There were effective complaints and quality assurance systems in place.