Background to this inspection
Updated
29 May 2019
The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.
Service and service type: This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to adults with a range of support needs, including people living with dementia and people with a physical disability.
There was no registered manager in post. A new manager had been appointed and started with the service the day before the inspection. We were supported during the inspection by the area manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
Notice of inspection: This inspection was announced, which meant the provider was given 24 hours' notice of our inspection visit. This was because the location provides a small domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to meet with us.
On the 24 April 2019 we visited the office location. On the 25 April 2019 we visited people who used the service in order to obtain their views of the care provided.
What we did: Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, which included correspondence we had received and any notifications submitted to us by the service. Statutory notifications are information the registered provider is legally required to send us about significant events that happen within the service. For example, where a person who uses the service has a serious injury.
Before the inspection we contacted the local authority's quality team and Healthwatch and they had no concerns recorded. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
During the inspection we spoke with four people who used the service and two relatives. We met with the new manager, area manager, care coordinator and carer training practitioner. We spoke with five members of care staff. We spent time looking at written records, which included five people's care records, three staff personnel files and other records relating to the management of the service.
Updated
29 May 2019
About the service: Helping Hands is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care to adults with a range of support needs in their own homes.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. Helping Hands was providing personal care to 35 people at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service:
People told us they were treated with kindness and spoke warmly about staff that supported them. One person told us, “I haven’t found carers better than these, they really are first class.” People were treated with dignity and respect and were supported to express their views and be involved in making decisions about how they wanted their care and support.
People and their relatives had no concerns about their safety. They told us staff understood their needs and supported them to be safe when providing care. One person said, “I have never felt at risk. I’ve been very impressed by the care I get.” Staff had received training in safeguarding vulnerable people and told us they had full confidence that the management team would act on any concerns raised.
Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff received appropriate training and they told us the training was very good. People commented positively on the competence and skills of staff. One person told us, “I’m confident they know what they are doing. They are better trained and knowledgeable than I expected.”
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported to have choice and control of the care and support they received.
Staff knew people well and could tell us about people's physical and health needs explaining how they supported them to be safe, whilst maintaining their independence. Care records did not always contain risk assessments or care plans related to some specific health needs. We made a recommendation to the provider about this.
Other risk assessments and care plans were extremely detailed and provided staff with the information they needed to support people in line with their preferences. People and their relatives were involved in developing and reviewing their care plans.
People had the opportunity to provide feedback on the service they received, and the provider had a quality assurance system and completed audits to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Systems and processes were in place to review accidents, incidents, complaints and safeguarding concerns
Rating at last inspection: This was our first inspection of the service.
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection.
Follow up: Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our inspection schedule for services rated Good.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk