Helping Hands Widnes

Updated 6 May 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The 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.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 01 April 2022 and ended on 13 April 2022. We visited the location’s office on 01 April 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We used information gathered as part of a monitoring activity that took place on 08 March 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke over the telephone with three people who used the service and two family members about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and a total of five staff including office and care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and medication records and recruitment records for two staff. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were also reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to confirm evidence found. We looked at records sent to us after the inspection.

Updated 6 May 2022

About the service

Helping Hands - Widnes is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, there were 14 people receiving personal care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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

People told us they felt safe with staff and had a lot of confidence in them. Risks to people were assessed and their safety was monitored and well managed. People received care and support from a consistent team of staff and their visits were punctual. Staff spent the right amount of time with people and never felt rushed. Safe recruitment processes were followed to make sure the right staff were employed. Management and staff understood how to protect people from abuse. Safe infection prevention and control practices were followed to minimise the spread of infection, including those related to COVID-19.

People’s needs and choices were assessed to make sure the service was right for them. Staff were knowledgeable about people and provided them with the care and support they needed in a way they preferred. 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. Staff were inducted into their role and received the ongoing support and training they needed to carry out their role effectively. Where it was required staff supported people’s healthcare and nutritional needs.

People were treated well and with respect. People and family members described staff as caring, kind, thoughtful and patient. Positive and trusting relationships had been built between staff, people and family members. Staff respected people’s privacy, dignity and independence and their right to confidentiality. People and family members were encouraged to express their views and opinions and make decisions about the care provided.

The service complied with the Accessible Information Standards. People were provided with information in a way they could understand.

Care was planned and delivered in a person-centred way. Staff treated people as individuals and provided their care and support in a way which reflected their needs and preferences. Staff were knowledgeable about people, they knew their likes, dislikes and what was important to them. People and family members were provided with information about how to complain and they were confident about complaining should they need to. Concerns and complaints were responded to in a timely way and improvements were made to the service were needed.

The registered manager and staff were clear about their role and responsibilities. People, family members and staff spoke positively about the way the service was managed, describing managers as supportive and approachable. There were effective systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service which included obtaining the views of people and others. There was good partnership working with others to make sure people received consistent care and support with good outcomes.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 08 June 2021, and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.