Background to this inspection
Updated
15 July 2022
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 one 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.
Registered Manager
This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 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.
Inspection activity started on 31 May 2022 and ended on 9 June 2022. We visited the location’s office on 31 May 2022.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
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.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager, care co-ordinator and a care and training practitioner during our visit to the office. We reviewed records including four people's care records, three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision, staff training matrix, complaints and compliments, quality monitoring audits and surveys.
Following our visit to the office we spoke with three people who used the service and two relatives by telephone. We received feedback about the service from four care assistants by e-mail.
Updated
15 July 2022
About the service
Helping Hands Darlington is a service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 22 people using the service. 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
People and relatives, we spoke with gave positive feedback about the service and the staff team. One person told us, “I’m very satisfied with the service. Staff seem capable and caring.”
People had person centred care plans which were created from holistic assessments of people’s needs. Risks people may face were fully identified and mitigated. Appropriate checks were completed prior to staff being employed to work at the service. Medicines were administered safely. Staff adhered to Covid-19 procedures.
People were supported by a regular staff team who had the relevant training and qualifications to safely support people. People told us having consistent staff meant that they built relationships and staff knew their needs well. There were enough staff to safely support people. People received timely care and were never left without the support they required.
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 a caring service from staff who respected them as individuals and supported them with dignity. Staff encouraged people’s independence and helped people to maintain social relationships. People were involved in planning their care and in decisions about how this should be delivered on a day to day basis.
The service considered people’s wishes, preference and life experiences. The service was tailored around these. People and relatives told us they could raise concerns and that the management would resolve any issues.
The registered manager and key staff demonstrated a passion for the service and commitment to the service’s ethos of ‘Kindness’. Staff spoke positively about the level of support and recognition they received and told us they felt valued in their work. The quality and assurance systems in place allowed for effective monitoring of the service by the registered manager and provider. There was a drive to continually improve and robust systems to collect information and learn from feedback.
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 18 March 2021 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.