Archived: Helping Hands Essex

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We do not currently rate independent standalone substance misuse services.

We found the following issues that the service provider needs to improve:

• Ward areas were not clean and were not well maintained. There were stains on the walls and carpets and furniture were dirty. There were areas of damp in the lounge and decor was in need of updating.
• Staff did not complete risk assessments in full upon admission. They did not contain all relevant information. There were no management plans, stating how staff would manage identified risks.
• The service had continued to use social media messaging applications to communicate client information, despite receiving a warning notice following our comprehensive inspection. Support staff used personal mobile phones to share client information.

However, we also found the following areas of good practice:

• Managers had introduced systems to monitor staffs compliance with mandatory training. This was up-to-date and included all staff working at the service.
• The service had improved its recruitment processes. The provider requested references prior to staff starting employment. The service had a list of all staffs Disclosure Barring Service checks reference numbers. However, we could not find evidence of whether any staff with criminal convictions were risk assessed, as the provider did not keep copies of Disclosure Barring Service forms, or a log of if the DBS had any convictions listed.

We do not currently rate independent standalone substance misuse services.We found the following issues that the service provider needs to improve:

• Ward areas were not clean and were not well maintained. There were stains on the walls and carpets and furniture were dirty. There were areas of damp in the lounge and decor was in need of updating.

• Staff did not complete risk assessments in full upon admission. They did not contain all relevant information. There were no management plans,stating how staff would manage identified risks.

• The service had continued to use social media messaging applications to communicate client information, despite receiving a warning notice following our comprehensive inspection. Support staff used personal mobile phones to share client information.

However, we also found the following areas of good practice:

• Managers had introduced systems to monitor staffs compliance with mandatory training. This was up-to-date and included all staff working at the service.

• The service had improved its recruitment processes.The provider requested references prior to staff starting employment. The service had a list of all staffs Disclosure Barring Service checks reference numbers.However, we could not find evidence of whether any staff with criminal convictions were risk assessed, as the provider did not keep copies of Disclosure Barring Service forms, or a log of if the DBS had any convictions listed.