Archived: Hendon Community Care Centre Limited

Hendon Community Care Centre is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. At the time of the inspection there were 53 people receiving a regulated activity.

At our last comprehensive inspection in February 2016 we rated the service as ‘Good’ overall. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People and relatives felt the service was safe. Staff were confident in how to safeguard people from abuse and had received relevant training. Risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were assessed and managed. People’s medicines were administered in accordance with best practice and managed in a safe way. Staffing levels were appropriate and reflected people’s needs. The provider employed robust recruitment procedures to keep people using the service safe.

People and relatives told us that staff knew how to support them effectively. Staff received regular training, supervisions and annual appraisals to support them in their roles. 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. People were supported with their nutritional needs and were supported to access a range of health professionals.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect at all times. People told us they felt comfortable with staff. Staff spoke highly of people and told us how much they loved their jobs. People were supported in a way that promoted their independence and choice. The service used a variety of methods to communicate effectively with people, depending on their needs. People would be supported to access advocacy services should they wish to.

Care plans were in place for meeting each person's individual needs. They were personalised, detailed and included people’s preferences. Regular reviews were carried out with people about their care and support. People and relatives told us they knew how to raise concerns and felt confident in doing so. The provider had a complaints policy and procedure which was accessible to people. Complaints received were investigated and actioned in accordance with the policy and procedure.

There was an effective quality monitoring process. People’s views were sought by the service via questionnaires and all feedback received was positive. Staff, people and relatives all spoke highly about the management of the service and the open communication culture. The service communicated effectively with staff in the form of group and one to one meetings. Staff told us they felt the registered manager was very supportive. The service received numerous compliments from relatives of people who received support, as well as health professionals.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their plan and to confirm they now met the legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Hendon Community Care Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

We found the provider had met the assurances in their action plan. There had been improvements to the completion of medicines records and how these were checked.

The last inspection of this service was carried out on 3 February 2014. The service met the regulations we inspected against at that time.

Hendon Community Care Centre is a domiciliary care agency. It is operated by a not-for-profit community business that was established in 1998. At the time of this inspection it provided a care service to around 80 people who lived in Sunderland. Care visits were no less than 30 minutes and some people received several visits each week. The agency also provided companionship visits and occasional overnight support to allow people to remain in their own homes.

The agency had a registered manager. 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.

During this inspection we found the agency had breached a regulation relating to medicines management. This was because some people’s medicines records were inaccurate or incomplete. This meant it was not clear if people were supported with their medicines in a safe way. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

People told us they felt safe and comfortable with the care workers who visited them. For example, one person told us, “I feel very safe with them and more important I trust them completely.” Staff had completed training in safeguarding adults and they knew how to report any concerns. There had been no safeguarding concerns about this service in over a year.

There were enough staff employed to carry out all the visits that were required, and the agency constantly recruited new members of staff. The agency made sure each staff member was fully checked before starting to work with people.

Most people had regular teams of care staff and this made them feel confident in the staff that supported them. The people and relatives we spoke with felt the care workers were “capable” and provided the right support. Staff said they received good training and were supported in their roles. One staff member told us, “We’re forever doing training, and it makes me feel confident in what I’m doing.”

People who needed support with meals told us they were in control of what they had and how it was prepared. Staff liaised with other care or health services if there were changes in people’s needs.

All the people we spoke with described the care workers and agency staff as “very caring”, “kind” and “helpful”. People said they looked forward to the visits from care workers. A relative described how their family member responded positively to the care workers. They told us, “They make her laugh with their happy banter. She enjoys their visits.”

A relative told us, “They are so very caring. They are very aware of my [family member’s] feelings at all times while they are caring for them.” One person said they received an “excellent service and care”. People told us that the agency staff treated them with dignity and respect.

People felt they were fully involved in making decisions about their care package. The care records were kept in people’s own homes so they and their care workers could refer to them at any time. People and their relatives said they received a personalised service that met their individual needs, even when these were complex and progressively changing.

The agency provided people with clear information about the service they should expect and details of how to make a complaint. There had been no formal complaints for some time and people said any informal comments were listened to and resolved.

People, relatives and staff said the agency was well managed. They described the registered manager as “very approachable” and “supportive”. The agency promoted a friendly, open culture where staff could give their views openly and honestly. The registered manager carried out regular checks to monitor the quality and safety of the service.

People felt they were 'in control' of the service they received. One person said, 'I was fully involved in setting up my own care package. They made sure I've got it the way I want it.' Another person told us, 'I'm very happy with the service because they always let me know who's coming.'

We talked with care staff, the manager, HR director and supervisors. Staff told us they felt 'well trained' and 'supported' by the agency. The training and supervision records confirmed this.

The agency carried out checks of the service and asked people for their views. The provider had effective systems for monitoring the quality and safety of the service. People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate treatment because records were kept up to date and were confidentially stored.

The six people and three relatives we spoke with had many positive comments to make about the care service they received from this care agency. They told us they felt they had sufficient information about the service and were fully involved in making decisions about their care. One person said, 'They gave me all the information I need, and I keep it in my care file.'

People told us the care staff were 'trustworthy and reliable'. Every one we spoke with felt the service was 'very good'. One person told us, 'Staff go beyond the call of duty ' I can really rely on them.'

People had confidence in the management of the service. One person said, 'I feel very safe with this service ' the agency is very strict about what staff must and must not do.'