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Care Services

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Firstpoint Homecare - Harpenden, Thrales End Lane, Harpenden.

Firstpoint Homecare - Harpenden in Thrales End Lane, Harpenden is a Community services - Nursing and Homecare agencies specialising in the provision of services relating to caring for adults over 65 yrs, caring for adults under 65 yrs, dementia, eating disorders, mental health conditions, personal care, physical disabilities, sensory impairments and substance misuse problems. The last inspection date here was 12th March 2019

Firstpoint Homecare - Harpenden is managed by Firstpoint Homecare Limited who are also responsible for 4 other locations

Contact Details:

    Address:
      Firstpoint Homecare - Harpenden
      Unit 29-30 Thrales End Farm
      Thrales End Lane
      Harpenden
      AL5 3NS
      United Kingdom
    Telephone:
      01582482405

Ratings:

For a guide to the ratings, click here.

Safe: Requires Improvement
Effective: Requires Improvement
Caring: Good
Responsive: Requires Improvement
Well-Led: Requires Improvement
Overall:

Further Details:

Important Dates:

    Last Inspection 2019-03-12
    Last Published 2019-03-12

Local Authority:

    Central Bedfordshire

Link to this page:

    HTML   BBCode

Inspection Reports:

Click the title bar on any of the report introductions below to read the full entry. If there is a PDF icon, click it to download the full report.

20th February 2019 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

About the service: Firstpoint Homecare - Harpenden is a domiciliary care service. The service provides care and support for older people and younger adults who may live with dementia, sensory impairments or physical impairments. The service also supports people living with mental health conditions including eating disorders. At the time of this inspection 55 people were using the service.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection in November 2016 the service was rated as ‘Requires Improvement’. The provider had not always ensured accurate records were maintained and had not ensured there was sufficient travel time allocated between care visits. Office staff did not always respond to people with care and attention. People had told us there were a lot of changes in care staff and that they did not know who the registered manager of the service was. Staff had mixed understanding about safeguarding matters and gave us mixed feedback about the support they received from the management team.

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating to assess improvements the provider had made.

People’s experience of using this service:

• Some improvements had been made since our previous inspection in November 2016. However, the provider’s quality assurance processes had not been effective in assessing if the changes made had improved people’s experiences of using the service.

• People had informative care plans that detailed the care and support they needed. However, some staff did not refer to the care plans for guidance.

• People and their relatives told us the care and support provided was not always safe. This was because there had been some missed care calls and late care calls.

• Staff received training in safeguarding and they knew how to report their concerns internally but needed further guidance about how to report externally to safeguarding authorities.

• Staff received training to help them support people safely however, their practical knowledge and competencies were assessed by their colleagues and not by management.

• People and their relatives were not always confident to raise a concern with the management team if they needed to. This was because they felt they were not always listened to.

• People’s medicines were managed safely.

• Staff supported people to eat and drink as needed.

• People received health care support from external professionals when needed.

• People felt well cared for and treated with respect and dignity by their regular care staff.

• When required notifications had been completed to inform us of events and incidents that happened in the home. This helped us the monitor the action the provider had taken.

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

19th October 2016 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

The inspection took place on 19, 21 and 27 October 2016. The visit was announced which meant that the registered manager was given 48 hours’ notice of the intended inspection. This was to help facilitate the inspection and make sure that people who used the service and staff members were available to talk with us. At our last inspection on 14 November 2014 the service was meeting all the required standards in the areas we looked at. We found that at this inspection the service required improvements.

There was a registered manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was supported by service and assistant service managers responsible for the day-to-day operation of each location where people received care and support.

People told us that staff helped them stay safe, both at home in their home and when out and about in the community. Staff received training for how to safeguard people from abuse and were knowledgeable about the potential risks of abuse and how to report their concerns. Robust recruitment practices were followed and there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff available at all times to meet people’s needs. People where necessary and appropriate were supported to take their medicines safely and at the right time by trained staff. Potential risks to people’s health and well-being were identified, reviewed and managed effectively.

People who received support, relatives and health care professionals were positive about the skills, experience and abilities of staff who received training and refresher updates relevant to their roles. Staff supported people to maintain good health and access health and social care services when necessary.

Staff obtained people’s agreement to the support provided and always obtained their consent before helping them with personal care. People told us that staff supported them in a kind and caring way that promoted their dignity. We found that staff had developed positive relationships with the people they supported and where were clearly very knowledgeable about their needs and personal circumstances.

People who received support were involved in the planning and regular reviews of the care provided and this was accurately reflected in their individual plans of care. The confidentiality of information held about people’s medical and personal histories was securely maintained.

People received personalised care and support that met their needs and took account of their preferences. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s background histories, preferences and routines. People were supported to pursue social interests relevant to their needs. They told us that the registered manager and staff listened to them and responded positively to any concerns they had. People were encouraged to raise any concerns they had and knew how to make a complaint if the need arose.

People, their relatives, staff and professional stakeholders were all complimentary about the management team and how the service operated. The management team monitored the quality of services and potential risks in order to drive continuous improvement.

14th November 2013 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

We spoke with 10 people who used the service. They were complimentary of the care and support they received. One person said “The staff are always polite and respectful. They are knowledgeable and are aware of my care needs and I feel my needs are met.” Another person said “Overall I am happy with the service provided and there is a care plan. Staff are good, talk to me in a friendly and respectful manner. The only disappointing things are the high number of staff I see and wished there was more continuity.”

During this inspection we found that the provider was meeting the standards we had inspected. People were involved in the decision about their care and support and that their privacy and dignity was respected. People's care needs were met appropriately. There were suitable arrangements in place for responding appropriately to any allegation of abuse. The staff were supported in their roles and relevant training had been provided including regular formal supervision. There was a system in place to assess and monitor the quality of service.

28th June 2012 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

During our visit to Firstpoint Homecare – Hapenden on 28 June 2012, people told us they felt involved in making decisions about the care and support received, from the service, including designing and reviewing care plans and staff explaining things to them.

In addition, people praised members of staff, one saying they were ‘‘totally happy with the service’’. Continuity of staff visiting was particularly valued, as people told us it allowed them to feel more comfortable when receiving care. People also said how staff approached them with politeness and respected their dignity.

Those we spoke with told us they or their relatives felt safe being cared for by staff from Firstpoint Homecare - Harpenden. They said the staff were friendly and professional and generally trained and experienced to carry out their roles. They said they felt the standard of care provided was very good.

 

 

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