Caring Hands Limited

Caring Hands Limited is registered to provide personal care to people within their own homes. On the day of the inspection 112 people were being supported.

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

People were supported safely and care staff were trained to do so. Care staff were recruited appropriately and were trained to administer medicines as they were prescribed. There were sufficient care staff to support people and risks to people were being identified and reviewed. People were supported in line with infection control procedures and where incidents or accidents happened trends were monitored.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Care staff were being supported and went through an induction process, so they could support people how they wanted.

People received support that was caring, kind and delivered in a professional manner. People decided when and what they had to eat and people’s privacy, dignity and independence was promoted.

The support people received was responsive to their needs. People were communicated with in a way they would understand. Assessments and support plans were used to ensure people’s support was personalised. Reviews took place regularly so where people’s support needs changed care staff would be aware. The provider had a complaints process.

People received support that was well led and managed appropriately. The registered manager ensured the quality of the service was maintained by carrying out spot checks and audits. People shared their views by way of completing questionnaires.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (Report published 03/02/2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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

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

The service provides personal care to people living either in their own home or the home of a family member. At the time of the inspection, approximately 150 people used the service and a registered manager was not 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered provider told us the acting manager had recently completed additional training and would be applying to become the Registered Manager.

People told us they felt safe around staff and with staff in their homes. People were supported by staff they were familiar with and who attended their calls regularly. People had the correct number of staff they expected for their call and staff attended on time. Staff understood the health conditions people lived with and how they needed to be kept safe. Staff also understood what they should do if they suspected a person was at risk of abuse. Staff underwent recruitment processes that included background checks so that the registered provider could assure themselves of their suitability to work at the service. How people received their medicines was reviewed regularly to check that people received their medicine correctly and that staff understood how to help people.

People were supported by staff that had access to training and supervision so their performance was monitored. Staff had regular access to training that included training on ensuring staff understood the importance of obtaining a person’s consent. People were included in discussions about the meals staff prepared for them and staff sought additional medical help from other professionals such as the GP or district nurse where this was appropriate.

People knew the staff supporting them because the same staff regularly attended their calls. Staff involved people in making day to day decisions about their care. Staff understood what it means to care for someone with dignity and respect. People felt respected by care staff and that their home and possessions were also respected.

People understood how to make a complaint although they did not always choose to. People spoke with managerial staff to ensure their needs were known and regularly updated so that their care met their expectations. The registered provider had a complaints process should people decide to complain.

Although the registered provider did not have a registered provider managing the service, they had taken steps to appoint a manager and support them to initiate the formal registration process. The registered provider worked closely with the manager to review the quality of people’s care.

The registered manager and registered provider worked together on a daily basis to ensure staff understood the registered provider’s expectations of running the service. People understood how they could contact the admiration office to make changes to their care and felt assured that their care needs would be met.

After the inspection our expert-by-experience contacted 30 people who used the service by telephone, to capture their views about the service they received.

We sent out 30 questionnaires to people who used the service and their families. A total of 16 questionnaires were returned. Overall people seemed very satisfied with the service provided.

We also contacted three care assistants to find out their views about the service they worked for and the care they provided to people.

People we spoke with told us that they were happy with the standard of care provided and were involved in giving feedback to the service.

One relative told us: "We have a main carer who comes regularly and he is like a friend to my husband, well to both of us really. He treats him like a person not a number, with great dignity and respect, you know, nothing is too much trouble".

People told us they felt safe and the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

Staff told us they were supported to deliver care safely and to an appropriate standard.

One member of staff told us: 'They train us well here and appreciate what we do. I get regular supervisions and have spot checks to ensure I meet the right standards of care'.

We saw that the provider had an effective system for auditing the quality of care standards they provided.

After the inspection we contacted three people who used the service and two members of staff to obtain their views about Caring Hands Limited.

People using the service told us they were very happy with the service they received and the staff who worked with them.

One person told us, 'The carers are all very good. I can't complain really'.

Another person told us,'I've got no complaints whatsoever. They enable me to be as independent as I can'.

We spoke to two members of staff who told us they felt supported by their manager and had the relevant training to undertake their work.

We looked at five outcomes to assess whether people were involved and participated in the service they received; whether care was provided appropriately; whether the service could adequately ensure people's safety; whether correct procedures had been followed in the recruitment of staff and whether there was a system for ensuring ongoing quality assurance within the home.

We found that Caring Hands Limited was compliant in all five outcomes.