We carried out a review of the data available to us about Helping Hands Darlington on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Helping Hands Darlington, you can give feedback on this 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.