Archived: Candour Care Services (Hillcrest) Limited

10 Great North Road, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0PL

Provided and run by:
Candour Care Services limited

All Inspections

5 September 2013

During an inspection looking at part of the service

When we inspected the service on 24 April 2013 we found that the recruitment and selection processes were insufficiently robust to safeguard people using the service. We saw that gaps in a candidate's employment history and inconsistencies in references had not been checked. Also, there was no evidence that newly recruited staff members were fit, either mentally or physically, to do the work for which they had been employed.

When we inspected the service on 05 September 2013 we found that the provider had changed the recruitment process to ensure that any gaps in a candidate's employment history were checked during the interview process. Changes made to the recruitment process also ensured that references were verified by senior management and that a candidate's health was checked to confirm that they were fit to carry out the work for which they had been employed.

24 April 2013

During a routine inspection

During our inspection on 24 April 2013 we spoke with one of the six people who lived at the home. People were asked what they wanted to do and staff members encouraged them to complete their chosen tasks. We saw that people had activity schedules for each morning and afternoon that included activities in the community such as swimming, shopping and going to the cinema.

The person that we spoke with told us that they were "very happy" with the care that they received. They said, "The staff are very nice to me. They help me." The staff members were able to clearly demonstrate that they knew the needs of the people that they cared for and how they liked to be treated.

The manager showed us the training matrix for all the staff members in the unit. This showed that all staff members had received relevant training on the safeguarding of vulnerable adults. We saw that the staff members had also received three days training on disengagement, de-escalation and restrictive techniques.

Two new staff members had been asked to confirm that they were mentally and physically fit for the role for which they had applied on the application form. There was no evidence that checks had been made with any healthcare professional to confirm that they were fit for the roles.

The minutes of a staff meeting showed that relatives of the people who lived at the home were able to attend the meetings to discuss any concerns or improvements that they wanted to see.