Helping Hands Maldon

Updated 16 August 2023

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 team consisted of 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Helping Hands Maldon is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

Registered Manager

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

Inspection activity started on 10 July 2023 and ended on 2 August 2023. We visited the location’s office/service on 13 July 2023. The Expert by Experience made phone calls to people and relatives on the 13 July 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people and 5 relatives who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 5 members of staff including the registered manager, care and training practitioner, care coordinator and care staff and had email information from 1 care staff.

We viewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care records and risk assessments. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were viewed.

Updated 16 August 2023

Helping Hands Maldon is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to younger and older people with a physical and sensory disability, people with a learning disability and autistic people, and those with dementia living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 14 people receiving a regulated activity.

Not everyone who used the service received a regulated activity. 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’s support was planned and delivered in a way that ensured people's safety and welfare. Assessments of people’s needs, and associated risks had been considered in the care planning process.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed.

There were systems in place to ensure people were safeguarded from harm. People were protected as infection control processes were in place. The provider had learnt lessons from incidents to improve the service. People’s medicines were given by staff who had received training to do so.

The registered manager enabled staff to develop their skills to provide good quality care. People were supported with meals and drinks to maintain their well-being. Staff worked well with people, their families and professionals to enable people to live as well as possible in their own homes.

People’s care was personalised around their needs and preferences. Staff reviewed and adapted support as people’s needs changed. End of life care was discussed as part of the assessment.

The registered manager had systems in place to monitor the service, measure outcomes for people and make improvements where needed. Staff felt well supported by the provider and involved in the development of the service.

At the time of the inspection, the location did not care or support for anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

Right Support:

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.

Right Care:

Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights.

Right Culture:

The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the registered manager and care staff ensured people using services could lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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 17 May 2022 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.