Helping Hands Chesterfield

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

The registered manager met with people to assess and agree their needs and support that could be offered. The provider developed bespoke packages of care to support the needs and meet the preferences of each person.

People were involved in ongoing reviews of their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs. People had a copy of their care plan in their home if required and, if wanted, had access to the application allowing them to access records electronically.

People were supported by staff who knew them well and understood their communication needs. For example, for a person who was unable to understand a rota, carers and family worked together to ensure the person knew who would be visiting them next.

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

The provider worked with each person and their family or representative to develop teams of care staff to support them. People were confident their staff knew them well and treated them with dignity and respect.

People received clinical care and support in line with evidence based good practice and standards. For example, staff received specific training and followed detailed support guidelines to manage people’s risks associated with their clinical needs, for example, a spinal cord injury. Where required, people’s care was overseen by a qualified nurse.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

The provider worked collaboratively with others to support people to achieve good outcomes.People received support to access appropriate services to meet their changing needs. For example, the registered manager took immediate action in response to a change in need, to work with the person, other professionals and their family to address the issue and reduce the risk of harm to the person.

Where a transition from one provider location to another had taken place the family of the person involved told us the communication from the original location could have been better, but the provider had worked with them to ensure new carers were able to support their relatively safely and the quality of the care was maintained.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

People were encouraged and supported to manage their own health, care and wellbeing needs wherever they could. One person told us, “I wrote out my care plan and send it to them [Helping Hands Chesterfield]. They transcribed it onto their paperwork. I have a folder in my home with all my documents in.”

Staff knew people well and understood their needs and preferences. One relative told us how staff quickly got to know how the person liked things done to meet their health needs. Staff worked with the person to support them how they preferred while keeping them safe.

Staff understood how to monitor people’s health and take action to seek additional support as necessary. For example, when a person receiving support was observed to be showing symptoms of an infection, staff liaised with the family and took action. This triggered an urgent care needs review which stabilised the person’s health and wellbeing.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

The provider implemented quality monitoring systems to ensure people’s care and support was effective. Monthly audits of care records, check ins by senior staff and obtaining feedback from people and their staff gave opportunities for the provider to identify where improvements to care and support could be made. Actions were planned and monitored to achieve these improvements.

The provider received positive feedback from people and their families during regular welfare check calls. One compliment from a family member read, “The standard of care and support provided for [relative] and the willingness to go the extra mile has far surpassed my expectations and Helping Hands Chesterfield is by far the best care provider we have ever had.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

People were supported to consent to their care, support and treatment where they had capacity to do so, and the principles of the Mental Capacity Action 2005 (MCA) were followed when people lacked capacity to make decisions about their care. The provider implemented systems to ensure appropriate records were kept of the steps taken to support people to make decisions. Staff understood about making sure people were truly involved in making choices. Support plans contained detailed guidance for staff to support people using their preferred way of communicating.