Hales Group Limited - Peterborough, a domiciliary care agency supporting 75 people, was rated Good across all five key questions at its first inspection. People, relatives and staff gave very positive feedback about safe, effective, caring and well-led care under an approachable registered manager.
Strengths
· Strong recruitment processes with thorough pre-employment checks and innovative approaches to attract and retain staff
· No missed care calls reported; people informed when staff were running late
· Staff well-trained including in specific needs such as dementia awareness, tube feeding and end of life care
· Safe medication administration with regular competency assessments
· Robust infection prevention and control procedures with correct PPE use
Quality-Statement breakdown (21)
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuse; Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices; delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawGood
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills and experienceGood
effective: Supporting people to eat and drink enough; working with other agencies; accessing healthcareGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityGood
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their careGood
caring: Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity and independenceGood
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control and to meet their needs and preferencesGood
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsGood
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsGood
responsive: End of life care and supportGood
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringGood
well-led: How the provider understands and acts on the duty of candourGood
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles, and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsGood
well-led: Engaging and involving people using the service, the public and staffGood
well-led: Continuous learning and improving care; Working in partnership with othersGood