Archived: The Caring Hands Also known as Miss Jessica Eastley

Updated 25 August 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 11 and 12 August 2016, and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure staff would be available for us to talk to, and that records would be accessible.

The inspection was undertaken by two inspectors, one of whom made the telephone calls to people to gather their feedback.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also checked the information we held about the service and the provider and saw that no recent concerns had been raised. We had received information about events that the provider was required to inform us about by law, for example, where safeguarding referrals had been made to the local authority to investigate and for incidents of serious injuries or events that stop the service. We also contacted the local authority that commissions the service to obtain their views about the provision of care to people.

We spoke with seven people who used the service and one relative and reviewed written comments from five further people. We also spoke with the registered manager and four members of care staff.

We looked at six people’s care records to see if they were reflective of their current needs. We reviewed four staff recruitment files, staff duty rotas and staff training records. We also looked at further records relating to the management of the service, including quality audits, in order to ensure that robust quality monitoring systems were in place.

Updated 25 August 2016

The Caring Hands is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care to people in their own homes to enable them to maintain their independence. At the time of our inspection approximately 17 people were receiving support with personal care.

The inspection was announced and took place on 11 and 12 August 2016.

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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff were knowledgeable about the risks of abuse and understood how to respond appropriately to any safeguarding concerns. Risks to people and the environment had been assessed and identified hazards which people may face. They provided guidance for staff to manage any risk of harm.

Staff had been recruited in to their roles safely. Effective recruitment processes were in place and followed by the service and there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s care and support needs. Staff had undergone appropriate checks before commencing their employment to ensure they were safe to work with people.

People told us that their medicines were administered safely and on time in accordance with their prescription.

Staff members had induction training when joining the service, as well as regular on-going training. The service had a robust training system that was based upon the specific needs of the people receiving support, and gave staff the opportunity to continuously develop their skills in a way that was specifically relevant to the people they supported. Staff received regular supervision and support to identify areas for self-development and to ensure they remained competent to meet people’s needs in the best possible way.

People’s consent was gained before any care was provided and the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were met.

People were happy with the support they received with food and drink. They were able to choose the food and drink they wanted and staff supported them with this. People told us that staff were able to support them with access to health appointments when necessary.

Staff supported people in a caring manner. They knew the people they were supporting well and understood their requirements for care. People's care was person-centred. Care plans had been written with people's involvement to ensure they were reflective of their needs, wishes and preferences and were reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they were accurate and up-to-date. People were able to contribute to the way in which they were supported. People told us their privacy and dignity was respected and felt that the provision of care had enabled meaningful relationships to be forged between them and staff.

People were supported to achieve goals that required planning and support from staff that knew them well. As a result of this positive outcomes were achieved for people, which made them feel empowered and part of the local community.

The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to use it. Any complaints made were dealt with appropriately.

Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and were motivated to perform them well and meet people's needs. People and staff were positive about the leadership at the service. They felt well supported and were able to approach the registered manager and team leaders whenever they needed to. Quality monitoring systems and processes were used effectively to drive future improvement and identify where action was needed