Archived: Mums Helping Hands Ltd

Updated 13 April 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 was planned to check 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 7 March 2016 and was announced. The provider was given notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection team consisted of one inspector 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 service.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete 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 received this information as requested. We also checked the information that we held about the service and the service provider and action plans the provider sent us following our last inspection.

We spoke with the relatives of two people who received a service from Mums Helping Hands Ltd by telephone. When visiting the agency office we spoke with the registered manager and we spoke to two care staff over the telephone.

We reviewed a range of records about people's care. These included the care records for two people and two medicine administration records (MARs). We reviewed other records relating to the management of the service such as minutes of meetings with staff, the employment records of three members of staff and the findings from feedback the provider had sought from people.

Updated 13 April 2016

The inspection was announced and took place on 7 March 2016. Mums Helping Hands Ltd is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care and support to adults, in their own homes, in Nottinghamshire. On the day of our inspection two people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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.

At our last inspection on 5 December 2013 we asked the provider to take action to improve recruitment processes so that people were protected against the risk of staff being employed that were unsuitable to work with them. During this inspection we found that improvements to recruitment processes had been made but that further improvements were still required.

At our last inspection we asked the provider to take action to ensure that people had appropriate risk assessments and care plans in place so that care being delivered was appropriate and safe. During this inspection we found that some improvements had been made but risk assessments and care plans were not always in place or regularly updated to effectively reduce the risk of harm to people.

At our last inspection we also asked the provider to take action to ensure that staff were properly supported in their role. During this inspection, we found that improvements had been made to the training that staff received. However, although staff were receiving annual appraisals, regular supervision was not being undertaken and documented in line with the service's policy and procedures.

People were kept safe by staff who understood their responsibilities with regard to protecting people they were caring for from harm or abuse.

People were being cared for by sufficient numbers of staff. The registered manager had recently recruited a new member of staff to help ensure people’s care needs could be met. People received the required support with their medicines.

People were encouraged to make independent decisions. Staff understood the principles of legislation designed to protect the rights of people who lacked capacity. However, staff had not received training in this area and the documentation about people’s capacity was not adequate.

People received the support they required to meet their nutritional and healthcare needs.

People had positive relationships with their care workers and people’s relatives felt that their relation was treated with kindness and people’s privacy and dignity were respected.

People, who used the service, or their representatives, were encouraged to contribute to the planning of their care and to give their views on the running of the service.

The registered manager reviewed some information on a monthly basis to assess the quality of the service. However, systems were not robust to ensure that people’s documentation was regularly updated and that accidents and incidents were monitored effectively to provide the best outcomes for people.