We carried out a review of the data available to us about Helping Hands- 5 Towns 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 Helping Hands- 5 Towns, you can give feedback on this service.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (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. During this inspection there were 3 people receiving personal care.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
People received safe care and were protected against avoidable harm, neglect and discrimination. Risks to people's safety were assessed and strategies were put in place to reduce the risks.
People received support from staff who had undergone a robust recruitment process. They were supported by regular, consistent staff who knew them and their needs well.
Where the provider took on the responsibility, people's medicines were safely managed.
Systems were in place to control and prevent the spread of infection. The provider ensured that lessons were learned when things went wrong, so that improvements could be made to the service and the care people received.
Staff received an induction and ongoing training that enabled them to have the skills and knowledge to provide effective care.
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.
The staff and the management team were focussed on providing people with support that was based on their individual needs, goals and aspirations. As a result, people's care was tailored to meet their exact needs.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 23 March 2019) and there were breaches in regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 9 January 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve medicines and staffing.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe, effective and well led which contain those requirements.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last focused inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Helping Hands- 5 Towns on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Helping Hands- 5 Towns was registered with CQC in July 2017. The provider is registered as a specific individual and they have overall responsibility for the service. This was the service’s first inspection.
At this inspection we found the provider was in breach of two regulations.
Relatives and friends of people who used the service told us they felt people who received this service were safe. At the time of the inspection there were no recorded accidents or incidents. The management team knew how to identify and report suspected abuse and had clear systems in place which ensured safety and legal standards were met. People were happy with the support they received for medicines. However, systems which promoted safe medicine management were not yet established. Generally safe recruitment procedures were followed for all staff, though minor improvements were required with reference checks.
Feedback obtained during the inspection showed people received appropriate care and support. However, we found areas of risk which were not effectively managed or mitigated against, such as not always completing a relevant risk assessment when a risk had been identified. We have made a recommendation about the completion of risk assessments. Daily notes were completed after each visit, but the provider had no system to check daily logs to ensure staff delivered care in line with people’s care plans. We have made a recommendation about the checking of people’s daily logs.
Staff told us they felt supported by the provider. However, improvements were required to the training and supervision staff received. Feedback showed people’s support was provided by the same staff which promoted good continuity of care. The staff team were caring and promoted people’s independence. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. We saw care records contained limited details about people’s preferences for care and support. We have made a recommendation about recording people’s preferences for care when they reached the end stage of life.
During the inspection we received very positive feedback about the service. Relatives and friends of people who used the service said it was well-run and the staff were approachable and friendly. The provider had some systems in place to evaluate and improve the quality and safety of the services provided. However, they were not always sufficiently robust and had not identified some of the service’s shortfalls which are highlighted in the report findings. We have made a recommendation about the provider’s policies and procedures so that they cover all aspects of the service.