About the service:

Human Support Group – Gloucester is a domiciliary care agency (DCA). At the time of the inspection the agency was providing personal care to 94 people who lived in their own homes.

Why we inspected:

We had received information of concern that actions were not being taken to protect people from alleged abuse. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to look into those concerns and our findings are noted in this report. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Human Support Group – Gloucester on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

We found the characteristics of Good had been maintained for both key questions inspected on 14 January 2019. The service rating therefore remained ‘Good’ overall.

People’s experience of using this service:

We inspected the systems and processes which ensured people remained safe and the service was well managed.

Risks to people from potential abuse and harm had been assessed and action had been taken to reduce such risks. There were enough staff available to ensure people received their care visits and systems in place to respond to any unplanned alterations in people’s planned visits. Staff were safely recruited, medicines were managed safely and steps taken to reduce the spread of infection.

At the time of our visit an application to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) by the branch manager to be the registered manager of Human Support Group – Gloucester was being processed by CQC. This has been successfully completed and there is now a registered manager in position at the Gloucester branch.

The registered manager managed the service effectively. They implemented the provider’s systems to ensure people received the support they required. Senior managers supported this by quality monitoring the service provided to people and reporting their findings to the registered manager. Where the registered manager identified risks or improvement required to the service provided to people, they took action to address this.

Rating at last inspection:

The last rating was Good (report published 30 October 2017).

Follow up:

We will monitor all intelligence received about the service to inform us of the service’s progress and of any risks, and to help us plan the next inspection accordingly.

Human Support Group provides care to people living in Gloucestershire. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to 144 people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults, younger disabled adults and people living with dementia. Not everyone using Human Support Group receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

Human Support Group significantly increased the number of people receiving personal care and the numbers of staff employed in the past six months in response to local commissioning arrangements. The provider told us changes to the way the service operated had to be made at short notice. We found the service had effectively managed the transition of people’s care arrangements as well as the transfer of staff during this period of change.

This inspection took place on 4 and 5 October 2017. The service had not previously been inspected.

There was a registered manager in place. 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 received personalised care and support which reflected their individual preferences, wishes and routines. They spoke positively about staff who treated them with kindness, care and sensitivity. People said they were supported respectfully and with dignity. Their privacy was respected. People and their relatives were involved in the planning and delivery of their care. Their care records were kept up to date and reflected the way they wished to be supported. When people’s needs changed staff recognised this and let the appropriate people know. People said they felt safe with the care provided and relatives were “reassured”.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People made choices about their care and support. They were encouraged to be as independent as they could be. Any risks were assessed and hazards minimised. People were supported to manage their medicines. Their health and wellbeing was promoted with staff providing meals, snacks and drinks when needed. People liked the continuity of staff and their preferences for male or female staff was respected. People said visits were mostly on time and there was some flexibility if they needed to reschedule the time of their visits.

People were supported by staff who had been through a recruitment process to confirm their character and skills. Staff had access to training to equip them with the knowledge and skills they needed. Staff said they felt supported in their role and communication was good. Staff were confident raising concerns and said they would be listened to.

Quality assurance processes were in place which monitored the standards of service provided. People and their relatives were asked for their views to make improvements to the service. Complaints were investigated and action had been taken to address any issues raised. Improvements completed included co-ordinating visits to reduce the risk of missed visits and to provide people with a consistent staff team wherever possible. People commented, “Everything is fine, they are lovely” and “They are excellent.”