Heart and Hands Homecare

Updated 24 August 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and specialist housing.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We also reviewed information we held about the service including statutory notifications which providers are required to inform the CQC of, such as accident or incidents that have happened at the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke to the registered manager and reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and people’s medicines records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment, staff supervision and training records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We sought feedback via telephone from four people who use the service, six relatives and four staff members. We also spoke with a private agency that had regular communication and referred people to the service.

Updated 24 August 2019

About the service

Heart and Hands Homecare is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 10 people required assistance with personal care tasks. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

There was a visible person-centred culture. People and their relatives consistently praised staffs’ efforts and told us they received high-quality care. People were protected from the risk of experiencing abuse. Staff spoke highly of the level of training opportunities they received and understood their responsibilities. Potential risks to people had been assessed and measures were put in place to ensure their safe management. There were clear safeguarding processes in place to identify, record and respond to all incidents and accidents. People were supported to receive their medicines by trained staff and there were robust procedures in place to support people to receive their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were encouraged to maintain choice and control of their lives and the care provided. People and their relatives were seen as true partners in their care. Staff told us they felt valued and supported and were proud of the outcomes they supported people to achieve.

People’s care plans were person-centred and focused on their strengths and abilities. People received appropriate levels of care and support that was responsive to their needs. Care plans contained detailed information on peoples’ preferences, likes and dislikes and were written in simple language to ensure people and staff could understand people’s care needs.

The service was led by a passionate and committed registered manager who was also the registered provider of Heart and Hands Homecare Limited. There was a whole team approach to service delivery which was supported by effective communication. Collaborative working was a high priority in ensuring people had access to the appropriate services and resources to maintain their health and wellbeing.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The service was registered with us on 03/08/2018 and this is the first inspection for this service.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to award a rating of this service following registration as per our published guidelines and timescales.

Follow up

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