Helping Hands Lichfield & Tamworth

Updated 17 January 2023

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors 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 care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority, Healthwatch and other professionals who work with the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During our inspection we spoke with 9 relatives. We also spoke with the care manager, 2 area managers, the quality assurance manager, and 5 care staff. We looked at the care records for 3 people. We checked the care people received matched the information in their records. We looked at records relating to the management of the service, including audits carried out within the service.

Updated 17 January 2023

About the service

Helping Hands Lichfield & Tamworth is a domiciliary care agency. The service provides support to people who live in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people using the service.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is to help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Staff knew how to keep people safe from harm. Risk assessments for people and their environments were in place and up to date. Staff were recruited safely and trained to provide support in a way which was individualised for each person receiving care.

People received effective care from staff who had received a detailed induction. The care plans were electronic. They were detailed, and personalised. Senior staff ensured staff used the plans to effectively support people in line with the plans..

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People received care which was personalised to their needs. People, their relatives and professionals were included in writing the care plans and in the decisions about the care they received. Staff knew people well and used their knowledge to provide support which fully met their needs.

Staff were responsive to the needs of each person. They used a range of skills to aid communication and considered people's religious and cultural needs. Complaints were managed well and responded to in a timely way.

The registered manager and senior staff had good oversight of the service. Audits were used to improve the quality of the service. Staff spoke of the support they received which helped them to do their jobs well. They felt the culture of the service was positive and everyone was working to provide good care.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 2 July 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We needed to inspect the service to provide a rating.

Follow Up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.