Archived: Human Support Group - Blackpool

Updated 4 February 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 22 October 2021 and ended on 9 December 2021. We visited the office location on 22 October 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, regional manager and care workers. We spoke with one person’s relative, personal assistants of two people and four staff members over the telephone.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with one professional who regularly visited the service.

Updated 4 February 2022

About the service

Human Support Group - Blackpool is registered to provide personal care to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. The service operates on a shared site with eight separate bungalows. There is a communal garden. At the time of this inspection, there were 8 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People felt safe and were protected against the risk of abuse. Staffing the service had been a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic and the provider was working to recruit more staff. Staff were recruited safely. Where people were supported to take their medicines, staff did so safely. The provider had robust infection prevention and control procedures to protect people from cross infection. Accidents and incidents were used as a learning opportunity to improve the safety of the service.

People’s needs were assessed before they received support to ensure they received the support they required. People received care from staff who were trained and competent to carry out their role. Staff provided the support people needed with meals and drinks. The service worked with healthcare services to ensure people received the support they needed to maintain and improve their health. People made decisions about their care and their rights were protected. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported by staff who were friendly and caring. People spoke highly of the staff who supported them. Staff respected and promoted people’s privacy, dignity and independence. Staff asked people for their views about their care and respected the decisions they made.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and took account of their preferences. People received person-centred care. The provider had an effective procedure for receiving and responding to complaints about the service. The service could support people to remain at home as they reached the end of life.

The culture of the service was person-centred. The registered manager and staff team were committed to providing people with care that met their needs, however staffing issues had impacted social hours and staff morale. The provider was working to improve this. The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour. The provider used feedback and the results of audits to continually improve the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This was the first inspection for the service.

Why we inspected

This service was registered with us on 11 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.