- Care home
HF Trust - Pound Lane
Assessment report published 6 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 25 August to 9 September 2026.
We undertook an inspection of HF Trust – Pound Lane on 25 August 2026 and 1 September 2026. The service provides accommodation and personal care for people with a learning disability and autistic people. At the time of our assessment, 15 people were living at the service.
This inspection was prompted by information received which indicated there might be risks to people using the service. We considered the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture during our assessment. Whilst people received caring, person-centred support, the service did not consistently meet all aspects of this guidance because governance and safety systems were not always effective.
People appeared safe and spoke positively about living at the service. Staff knew people well and were committed to supporting them to live meaningful lives. Care planning was generally person-centred and people were supported to access healthcare services, maintain relationships and take part in community activities. Systems were in place to monitor health and safety, medicines and safeguarding concerns.
However, we identified some shortfalls which affected the consistency of safe care. These included medicines management issues, inconsistencies between paper and electronic records, gaps in some documentation, staffing pressures and areas of the environment requiring improvement. The provider had identified a number of these issues and was taking action to address them; however, further work was needed to ensure risks were consistently monitored and managed.
The registered manager had been absent from the service for an extended period and an interim manager was overseeing day-to-day operations. Staff described the interim manager as visible and proactive, and there was evidence of improvement work being undertaken with the local authority and partner agencies. The provider told us the registered manager was due to return shortly after the assessment. Whilst leaders demonstrated a commitment to improving the service, governance systems had not always identified and addressed issues promptly. Further work was needed to ensure oversight was consistently effective and improvements were embedded and sustained.
People's experience of this service
Feedback from people and their relatives was overwhelmingly positive about the care and support provided at the service. Relatives consistently told us their family members were happy, safe and supported to live meaningful lives, with opportunities to maintain relationships, pursue interests and access community activities.
Staff were described as kind, caring and knowledgeable about people's individual needs. One relative told us, "My relative is super happy and content," while another said, "They are on top of the problems."
Although feedback about care was consistently positive, some relatives felt communication and engagement had reduced during the registered manager's extended absence and periods of management change. Overall, relatives told us they would recommend the service and were confident their family members received good care.