Archived: Hands on Care Homecare Services

People’s experience of using this service:

The provider followed safe recruitment processes when employing new staff members. People received a consistent level of care from a team of regular care workers. There were enough staff employed to meet people's needs safely.

The provider had submitted notifications as necessary to the Care Quality Commission. The provider is legally obliged to send us notifications of incidents, events or changes that happen to the service within a required timescale.

People received safe care and support. The staff team had been trained to recognise potential signs of abuse and understood what to do to safely support people.

Staff members followed infection prevention and control procedures when supporting people in their own homes. Staff members had access to and used appropriate personal protective equipment.

People were supported by kind and caring staff who displayed empathy and compassion. People and their relatives were encouraged to be involved in making decisions about their care.

People received safe support with their medicines by competent staff. The provider had systems in place to respond to any medicine errors should they occur.

The provider arranged training for staff that met the needs of people using the service. They were assessed for their competency which helped to ensure they were safe to work with people.

Care plans were developed for each individual and included people's preferences and wishes.

Audits were in place that effectively checked the quality of the service and action plans were implemented and followed where necessary. There was an open culture in the service and the management team made themselves available.

The service met the characteristics for a rating of "Good" in all the key questions we inspected. Therefore, our overall rating for the service after this inspection is "Good". More information is in our full report.

Rating at last inspection: At our last inspection, the service was rated "Requires improvement". Our last report was published on 28 June 2018.

Why we inspected: This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned for future dates a per our re-inspection plan.

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

Hands on Care (Shropshire) Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses in the community. It provides a service to older adults, who may have learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder, dementia, mental health care needs, physical disabilities or sensory impairments. At the time of our inspection visit, 17 people were using the service.

Not everyone using Hands on Care (Shropshire) Ltd 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.

The service is required to have a registered manager; the registered provider was also the registered manager. 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 not routinely followed safe recruitment procedures, or their own recruitment policy. The provider had not always notified the CQC of events they required to by law, and did not demonstrate an understanding of their responsibilities in this regard.

People were supported by a reliable staff team. Call times were monitored by the provider to ensure there were no late or missed calls. People received the help they needed with their medicines.

People were protected from the risk of infection and from harm and abuse.

Staff received ongoing development, guidance and training in their roles, and the training was relevant to the needs of the people they cared for. People's rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act.

People received help with their meals and drinks, and were supported to maintain their overall health.

People enjoyed caring and respectful relationships with staff. Staff knew people's individual preferences, likes, dislikes and routines, and made sure these were respected.

People's independence was promoted, as much as possible. Staff tailored their communication styles to meet people's individual needs and preferences.

Feedback, suggestions, concerns and complaints were used as way of improving the service, People felt able to raise any concerns or issues, and were confident these would be resolved quickly.

The provider monitored the quality and safety of the care people received, and maintained high standards of care. Staff felt motivated and supported in their roles, and shared the provider's vision and values for the service.