Archived: Human Support Group Limited - Nottingham

At the time of our inspection a service was being provided to 87 people living in the Nottinghamshire area. Their main client group was people aged over 65.

There was a registered manager in place who was available during the inspection. 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.

People were very satisfied with all aspects of the service provided and spoke highly of both staff and managers. People who used the service told us they were treated with compassion and kindness and that their privacy and dignity were respected.

People who used the service and relatives we spoke with told us they felt staff provided safe and effective care. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the various types of harm and their roles and responsibilities in reporting any safeguarding concerns. Staff had also received safeguarding adults training.

People’s care plans reflected their individual needs and personal wishes. People told us they were involved in the development of their care plans and were enabled to express their views on an ongoing basis.

Staff were carefully recruited and were required to undergo a number of background checks prior to starting their employment. This helped to ensure that only people with the required skills and of suitable character were employed.

.

People told us they received their medication as prescribed. Medicines administration records (MAR) checked confirmed this.

Staff received regular supervisions and annual appraisals and were able to reflect on the care and support they delivered and identified further training requirements. The management team encouraged feedback from all people involved with the service.

The people we spoke with were satisfied with improvements that meant they were becoming more involved in the care planning processes. People were largely happy with the care being provided and the competence of the staff.

The staff felt supported and well trained for their job. They were aware of the various quality checks and surveys to be undertaken by the provider to assess the quality of the service.

Records showed that feedback from patients was sought as patients were encouraged to complete surveys.

We found letters from the local authority requesting visits for people using the service at particular times of day. In some cases visits were not taking place at the requested time and there was no documentation to suggest an alternative time had been agreed with the person.

We spoke to two relatives of people using the service and one person said, "The carers are excellent. I am not sure about the office staff. It seems as though you have to be in the right post code to have the care at the time needed. This has been resolved now, but could have been dealt with sooner' Another person said, 'The service is very good. The people are pleasant.'

People told us they felt safe with the support they were being provided. One person said, "I feel safe in their care.' People told us they liked the staff and staff were able to meet their needs. They also told us they felt they could speak to the staff and they would be listened to.

We found that staff were supported to provide care that met people's needs. The provider was making appropriate checks before a new member of staff started work. We also found that the provider took steps to assess the quality of the service being provided.