About the service:

We conducted an unannounced inspection at Hegarty Care on 24 April 2019. Hegarty Care accommodates up to four people in one building. On the day of our inspection, four people were using the service, all were people living with a learning disability or mental health needs.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received an excellent service at Hegarty Care where they were supported to lead active and fulfilling lives. People told us the approach of staff made them feel safe, valued and life was happy and had a meaningful purpose. People’s experience was summed up by a person who said, “I would rate this service as outstanding - its changed my life so much.”

The outcomes for people living at Hegarty Care reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the following ways; promotion of choice and control, independence and inclusion. People were at the heart of the service and staff’s approach, where constant motivation enabled people to gain in confidence, self-worth and self-determination. People were positive about their future, they had gained new skills, independence and were supported to achieve personal goals and aspirations.

People were protected from avoidable harm and abuse, there was a positive approach to risk taking and people were fully involved in decisions about how known risks were managed. This had resulted in people achieving significant outcomes, people had developed in confidence that enabled them to take control of their own safety. People were enabled to be active citizens of their community without restrictions.

Staff had a positive rehabilitation approach to support people in their journey of recovery with their mental health needs. The person-centred and motivational approach at Hegarty Care, provided structure and purpose to people and had contributed in people’s achieving personal goals.

People received support from staff who were well trained and supported, to provide safe and effective care. Staff skill mix, personality and interests were considered when matching staff to support people with activities of their choice. People were involved in the recruitment of staff and checks were completed on staff’s suitability to provide care.

People received their prescribed medicines safely and were supported to access health care services to maintain their healthcare needs. Healthy eating was encouraged, and people were fully involved in menu planning, shopping and the preparation of meals. Independence was promoted in all aspects of care and daily living. 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.

Staff were caring and compassionate and had developed a good understanding of people’s diverse needs, routines and what was important to them. From speaking with staff, it was clear they were passionate about their work and wanted the very best for people they supported. Information had been made available for people that met their communication needs.

Positive partnerships had been developed with external health and social care professionals. People benefited from good multi-disciplinary working.

A range of regular checks had been completed to review the quality and safety of the care and support provided. Where improvements were identified, action plans were developed to continuously develop and improve the service and enhance people’s life. People, relatives, external professionals and staff, received opportunities to share their experience of the service and this helped drive improvements forward.

The service met the characteristics of outstanding in Safe and Responsive; more information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the provider’s first inspection since registration.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the registration date.

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