Archived: Harefield Hall

Updated 21 June 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 was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This service was previously inspected in April 2014. At that time we found there were no breaches in regulations. This inspection took place on 14 April 2016 and was unannounced. Two adult social care inspectors carried out this inspection.

Prior to the inspection we looked at information we had about the service. This information included the statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete 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 planned to make. We reviewed the information included in the PIR and used it to assist in our planning of the inspection.

During our visit we met and spoke with everyone living at the home, relatives, visitors and a visiting health care professional. We spent time with the registered manager, deputy and spoke with five staff. We looked at people’s care records, together with other records relating to their care and the running of the service. This included staff employment records, policies and procedures, audits and quality assurance reports.

Updated 21 June 2016

This inspection took place on 14 April 2016 and was unannounced. There were no concerns at the last inspection of April 2014. Harefield Hall provides accommodation for up to 21 older people. At the time of our visit there were 19 people living at the service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 registered manager was also the owner and registered provider of Harefield Hall. For the purpose of the report we will refer to the registered manager.

People were ‘very happy’ living at the home and we received positive comments about their views and experiences throughout our visit. People told us they felt safe because the staff were “Caring and enjoyed what they did”. The registered manager listened to people and staff to ensure there were enough staff to meet people's needs. They demonstrated their responsibilities in recognising changing circumstances within the service to help ensure that staffing levels and skill mix was effective.

Staff had the knowledge and skills they needed to carry out their roles effectively. They enjoyed attending training sessions and sharing what they had learnt with colleagues. The registered manager and deputy supported staff at all times.

People and their relatives felt staff were caring and kind. Comments included, “I love coming here to visit the staff are so pleasant”, “My relative is treated with good humour, patience and kindness” and, “The care is without question excellent”. Staff had a good awareness of individuals' needs and treated people in a warm and respectful manner. The registered manager and staff were knowledgeable about people's lives before they started using the service. Every effort was made to enhance this knowledge so that their life experiences remained meaningful.

People received appropriate care and support because there were effective systems in place to assess, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate people's needs. People were involved throughout these processes. This ensured their needs were clearly identified and the support they received was meaningful and personalised. Regular monitoring and reviews meant that referrals had been made to appropriate health and social care professionals and where necessary care and support had been changed to accurately reflect people's needs. People experienced a lifestyle which met their individual expectations, capacity and preferences.

Staff demonstrated a genuine passion and commitment for the roles they performed and individual responsibilities. It was important to them those living at the service felt ‘valued and happy’. One staff member recently wrote in a questionnaire, “I enjoy the variety, making people smile and feeling like I have made a difference”.

Staff embraced new initiatives with the support of the registered manager and deputy. They continued to look at the needs of people who used the service and ways to improve these so that people felt able to make positive changes. In a survey completed in February 2016, people wrote, “Don’t change a thing, it’s a success. You should be proud of yourselves”, “I am pleased to say Harefield Hall and the staff are first class” and, “If only all homes were run like Harefield Hall”.