Hales Group Limited - Leeds

Not everyone using the service receives a regulated activity. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects services where a regulated activity is provided. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do; we also consider any wider social care provided.

The provider delivered a good standard of person-centred care, with staff treating people with kindness, compassion and respect. Care and support were tailored to individual needs, preferences and goals, enabling positive outcomes and supporting people’s wellbeing and quality of life. Relationships between staff and people using the service were positive, trusted and respectful. The feedback received from people and relatives was positive.

The service was well-led, with visible and supportive leaders promoting a positive, inclusive culture. Staff felt valued, well supported and confident to raise concerns or contribute to service development. Effective governance systems enabled oversight of quality, safety and continuous improvement, while staff received appropriate training, supervision and support.

People were involved in decisions about managing risks wherever possible, and systems were in place to support safe care delivery, including environmental checks, infection prevention and control measures, and sufficient staffing levels.

Some improvements were required in medicines management. Although systems for training, auditing and record-keeping were generally effective, concerns were identified regarding medicines reconciliation, personalised PRN protocols, management of time-sensitive medicines and medicines records. This did not impact on people who used the service and the provider responded promptly and developed an action plan to address these issues.

Assessments of people’s needs were completed, but care records were not always updated promptly during the transition to a new documentation system. Some records on the previous system did not fully reflect changes in people’s needs. However, staff knew people well and this had minimal impact on the care provided. Staff worked effectively with other professionals, supported people to maintain their health and wellbeing, and demonstrated a clear understanding of consent and decision-making.