Helping Hands Hungerford

Updated 23 July 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 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 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 22 June 2021 and ended on 25 June 2021. We visited the office location on 22 June 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at all the information we held about the service including notifications. A notification is information about events that the registered persons are required, by law, to tell us about. We checked information held by Companies House and we looked at online reviews. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who use the service and seven relatives about their experience of the care provided. We contacted nine members of staff and spoke with two in the office including the care coordinator and care and training practitioner. We reviewed a range of records including three people’s care records and two medicines records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at recruitment records and quality assurance records.

Updated 23 July 2021

About the service

Helping Hands Hungerford is a is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service supported older people, younger adults, people living with dementia, people with a sensory impairment and people with a physical disability. At the time of this inspection the service was supporting 14 people.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is 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

The provider did not ensure systems were in place to oversee the service and ensure compliance with the fundamental standards. The registered manager did not ensure the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was informed of notifiable incidents in a timely manner.

There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that medicines were always safely managed. We made a recommendation about reviewing people care plans in response to their needs and to identify themes and trends of incidents and accidents. The registered manager did not have evidence to support there being an effective process in place.

People received care and support that was personalised to meet their individual needs. People's diverse needs were identified and their right to confidentiality was protected. There were contingency plans in place to respond to emergencies.

Staff felt they could visit people on time and stay the right time. The visits were scheduled using an online system and overseen by the care coordinator. People reported to be involved in their care plans and were supported to remain independent.

People and relatives reported they felt safe with the staff providing their support and care. Staff understood their responsibilities to raise concerns and report incidents or allegations of abuse. The staff team followed procedures and practices to control the spread of infection using personal protective equipment. People and their relatives who provided feedback said people were treated with care, respect, and kindness by the staff visiting them.

People felt safe in the care of staff and were protected from the risk of getting an infection. People had caring relationships with staff who promoted their privacy, dignity and independence. People's views were sought by the provider.

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's needs and choices were assessed and documented

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 28 July 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvement. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We have identified breaches in relation to notifiable incidents and good governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.