Hanslope and Castlethorpe

Updated 2 December 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and specialist housing.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 27 October 2022 and ended on 28 October 2022. We visited the location’s service on 27 October 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their first registration. This included any notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about). We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 5 people using the service and 5 relatives by telephone and we asked them about their experiences of the care provided.

We had discussions with the registered manager who is also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We spoke with 4 staff members on site and these included a service manager who was in training, the deputy manager, the welfare officer and a care coordinator. We received written feedback via email from a further 4 care and support staff, 6 healthcare professionals and the Hanslope carers group.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management and governance of the service, staff training records, and policies and procedures.

Updated 2 December 2022

Hanslope and Castlethorpe is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. They also support people with complex care needs. At the time of the inspection there were 31 people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. During this inspection there were 23 people receiving personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People received safe care and were protected against avoidable harm, neglect and discrimination. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and strategies were put in place to reduce the risks.

People received support from staff who had undergone a robust recruitment process. They were supported by regular, consistent staff who knew them and their needs well.

Where the provider took on the responsibility, people's medicines were safely managed. Systems were in place to control and prevent the spread of infection. The provider ensured that lessons were learned when things went wrong, so that improvements could be made to the service and the care people received.

Staff received an induction and ongoing training that enabled them to have the skills and knowledge to provide effective care. Staff providing care and support to people with complex needs received specialist training.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The staff and the management team were passionate about providing people with support that was based on their individual needs, goals and aspirations. As a result, people’s care was tailored to meet their exact needs.

The service took a key role in the local community and was actively involved in building further links.

There was a high level of satisfaction with the service and people were well supported to express their views, so improvements could be made. There was strong leadership that put people first and set high expectations for staff.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Hanslope and Castlethorpe on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 29/11/2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.