Helping Hands Oldham

Updated 9 June 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 an 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 homes.

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

We gave the service 24 hours notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 12 May 2022 and ended on 26 May 2022. We visited the office location on 12 May 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection we looked at a variety of records, including multiple electronic care records and risk assessments and two staff recruitment files. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance tools, policies and staff training records. We talked to the registered manager and three care assistants. The Expert by Experience spoke with one person who used the service and seven family members on the telephone.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at several other documents, including some policies and service user feedback.

Updated 9 June 2022

About the service

Helping Hands Oldham is a domiciliary care service, providing personal care and support to people living in and around Oldham, Rochdale and Middleton. 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. On the day of inspection, 14 people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care.

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

People and their relatives told us they felt safe using the service. There were enough staff available to meet people's needs. People and their relatives told us staff arrived at the scheduled time and stayed for the specified period. The service had a robust recruitment process to ensure suitable staff were employed. People were supported to take their medicines safely. Staff followed the correct infection control practices.

People's needs were assessed before they started using the service and the information was used to inform person-centred risk assessments and care plans. New staff received a comprehensive induction programme and all staff had completed a range of training which gave them the skills and knowledge to care for people in their own homes. 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 and their relatives spoke highly of the care provided by Helping Hands Oldham. They told us they were cared for and supported by kind and considerate staff. Staff knew how to maintain people’s dignity and privacy and promote their independence.

The service was well managed. The registered manager was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the service. Governance systems were in place to ensure all aspects of the service were reviewed and checked regularly.

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

This service was registered with us on 10 May 2021.This is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.

Follow up

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