We carried out a review of the data available to us about Hanslope and Castlethorpe on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Hanslope and Castlethorpe, you can give feedback on this 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.
Hanslope and Castlethorpe is a domiciliary care agency which is also known as Hanslope Care. It provides personal care to older people living in their own houses and flats in the community. Not everyone using this service receives the regulated activity; The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.
The service did have 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.
Improvements were required to ensure safe recruitment practices were embedded into how the service operated. Staff were not always recruited according to safe recruitment practices and the registered manager had not ensured they had a robust recruitment policy in place.
Improvements were required to how risk assessments were completed to ensure staff had adequate guidance about people’s individual needs.
People provided feedback which highlighted that staff went above normal expectations. Staff were considerate and thoughtful and took extra time to ensure all of people’s needs were considered and supported. This included helping people with additional jobs they could not manage on their own. Staff took on extra responsibilities and were passionate about the care they provided for people.
People received support with their medicines if they wished and systems were in place to record and report safeguarding incidents. Staffing arrangements were flexible to meet the needs of the people that were using the service.
People’s needs were fully considered before they began to use the service to make sure their needs could be met. People's consent was gained before their care was provided. 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 treated with dignity and respect and staff were able to get to know people by seeing the same people on a regular basis. People were encouraged to be independent and to make their own choices.
People had care plans in place which reflected their needs and these were updated when people’s needs changed. Complaint procedures were in place for people to make a complaint, and the registered manager had a good understanding of the requirements of end of life care.
People and staff had opportunities to provide their feedback and this was fully considered and acted on. The registered manager had quality assurance systems in place to review the quality of the service and took action to make improvements where required. However, we have made a recommendation to review these audits to ensure they proactively identify the required improvements and adhere to all regulations.