Hales Group Limited - Sheffield

Staff and leaders took appropriate actions to ensure lessons were learnt from safety events. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse. Staff received training and support to ensure they had the skills to identify concerns. However, some people and relatives felt staff could be more knowledgeable especially around food preparation. Staff and leaders understood and worked within the guidelines of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Risks associated with people’s care were identified and managed to keep people safe. Environmental risk assessments were also completed to mitigate risks in the care environment. People and relatives told us their carer did not always arrive on time and in some cases never attended the call. We spoke with the registered manager, and they told us they would carry out weekly reviews of the electronic call monitoring data and review instances of under-delivered care.

We saw evidence people had been involved in reviews about their care and support, and staff and leaders spoke with people about their care plans. People had access to healthcare professionals and staff followed their guidance. People told us staff were kind and caring. Staff explained how they involved people in their care and support.

The provider had a system in place for people to raise concerns, however some people did not feel listened to and told us members of the management team did not always respond to them. Staff also informed us they did not always feel listened to or valued. We raised this with the registered manager who told us they would carry out observations of practice and review any concerns raised by staff. Some staff did not feel supported to give feedback and felt leaders were not always receptive to ideas and suggestions. The management team carried out a series of audits to ensure the service was operating in line with the providers standards.

Most people told us that they would speak with the carers if they had a problem and wouldn't raise issues with the management team. The provider had a whistle blowing policy and staff were able to raise concerns about the service, although they did not always feel listened to.