16 April 2019
During a routine inspection
Helping Hands and Company is a domiciliary care agency that was providing personal care to 18 people at the time of our inspection.
People’s experience of using this service:
People were cared for safely and by staff who were suitably trained and had completed an in-depth induction. Risks were assessed and care plans regularly reviewed.
People told us they felt safe and cared for and that staff and the registered manager were approachable and helpful.
Staff were provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves , aprons and anti-bacterial hand gel to minimise the risks to people from infection.
The provider communicated well with healthcare professionals such as district nurses who supported them in providing consistent care.
People told us that staff providing care were very respectful and were good at ensuring privacy and maintaining dignity.
The provider was flexible and had been able to meet people’s preferences of call times and by being able to respond to changes at short notice.
There was a complaints policy and procedure however there had been no complaints. Any low-level concerns were dealt with at the time of being raised by the registered manager.
The provider supported people at the end of life in partnership with medical professionals. Support was also provided to relatives who were welcome to stay in touch with the service for as long as they needed.
People and staff told us that the registered manager was supportive and approachable.
The registered manager had clear oversight of the service and had audit systems in place to support this.
The registered manager had forged close links with a local care home and worked closely with district nurses in the provision of holistic care.
Helping Hands and Company met the characteristics of good in all areas. More information is in the full report.
Rating at last inspection: The provider of this service changed in April 2018 however the registered manager and nominated individual remained the same. Our previous inspection, report published on 13 December 2016 had rated the service as good.
Why we inspected:
We inspected the service as part of our inspection schedule methodology for ‘Good’ rated services.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor the service and will reinspect according to our reinspection schedule for services that are rated as good.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk