We carried out a review of the data available to us about Caring Hands Domiciliary Services Limited on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Caring Hands Domiciliary Services Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Not everyone using the service receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service:
People using the service told us they felt safe. Staff contacted healthcare professionals when they had concerns about people’s health and wellbeing.
Relevant recruitment checks were conducted before staff started working at the service to make sure they were of good character and had the necessary skills.
There were sufficient numbers of staff to maintain the schedule of care visits to meet people’s needs.
People we spoke with felt staff had the skills and qualities to deliver effective care.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided. There was a system in place to allow people to express any concerns or complaints they may have.
People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff were able to identify and discuss the importance of maintaining people’s respect and privacy at all times.
Medication administration records (MAR) confirmed people had received their medicines as prescribed. There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies.
Staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and understood that people had the right to make their own choices.
Staff felt supported by the provider and registered manager and could visit the office to discuss any concerns.
The service developed and promoted community involvement within the service.
Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection in September 2016 the service was rated Good. At this inspection the service remained good.
Why we inspected: We inspected the service as part of our inspection schedule methodology for ‘Good’ rated services.
Follow up: We did not identify any concerns at this inspection. We will therefore re-inspect this service within our published timeframe for services rated good. We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Caring Hands Domiciliary Services Limited is registered to provide personal care and support to people who live in their own home. At the time of our inspection, there were 110 people using the service.
The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The provider had safeguarding policies and procedures in place. All staff received safeguarding adult's training to raise awareness of how to recognise signs of potential abuse and poor practice and what actions they would need to take. Staff told us they were confident in their understanding of abuse and how to report any suspected abuse.
The service operated safe recruitment practices to ensure staff were suitable for their role. People's needs were understood and met by the right amount of skilled and experienced staff.
People were protected from the risk of harm. The provider assessed any identified risks to people and put measures in place to minimise them.
People felt that staff treated them with dignity and respect. People and relatives were involved in the development of care plans and were able to express how they
preferred to received care.
Care plans were detailed and informative.
People's specific care needs were met during each planned visit. Staff were supportive in helping people to maintain their independence as far as was practicable.
Staff were well supported by the provider and regularly received supervision, spot checks and annual performance appraisals. The service operated an effective on call system to provide staff with any necessary guidance outside of office hours.
The provider had quality assurance and data management systems in place to ensure quality of service provision.
Arrangements were in place to meet the needs of people. We found the care plans contained details of people's assessed needs and action plans were in place on how these would be met. The care records were subject to regular reviews and risk assessments were completed.
People were protected from the risk of abuse and arrangements were in place which included staff training and information on how to raise concerns. We saw there was an effective quality assurance system in place and people who use the service were asked for their views about their care and treatment they received. The provider took account of complaints and comments to improve the service.
People were assessed prior to receiving care. Risk assessments and care plans were put in place to reflect the care and support needed. People said that they were treated with respect and the care records contained people's preferred form of address. Three people said that they had been asked what they liked to be called.
There was a robust recruitment procedure that the staff followed. We found that all necessary staff's checks were completed prior to them starting work. There was a complaint procedure that the staff followed. People told us that they would approach the agency with any concerns and they were confident that this would be addressed. Information on how to raise concerns was available to them and provided in the information pack.
People commented that the staff were 'pretty good' and they always arrived at the planned times for their visits. They told us that they had the regular staff that ensured continuity of care. They were happy with the care provided and that they felt safe and well looked after.
They said that the staff had carried out an assessment to ensure that the agency could meet their needs prior to providing care. They also said that care was tailored to their needs and that the staff had involved them or their relatives in the planning and delivery of their care.
We were told that the staff were always kind and courteous and respected their privacy and dignity when providing care. A person said that the staff 'excelled themselves' when assisting them with their care. They commented that the staff 'were a wonderful bunch of girls'. One person said that the staff 'do all they can to help'. Most of the people said that there had been some recent staff shortages; however this had not affected their care.
Relatives told us that the staff always arrived on time as agreed with the agency. We were told that staff would inform them if they were running late for their visits.