Background to this inspection
Updated
27 March 2020
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 team consisted of one inspector.
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
This inspection was announced. We gave the service notice of the inspection visit because the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be available.
Inspection activity started on 30 January 2020 and ended on 12 February 2020. We visited the office location on 4 February 2020.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, branch manager, care and training practitioner and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff 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 the evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
27 March 2020
About the service
Helping Hands Chelmsford is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 32 people at the time of the inspection. At the last inspection, the service covered a large geographical area which has since been reduced with the opening of other branches of the company, providing a smaller staff allocation area to improve 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 told us they felt safe using the service and were confident that if they raised a concern it would be dealt with appropriately by the registered manager.
People appreciated receiving care from regular care staff who usually arrived on time. If they were going to be delayed, people were notified by telephone. This had been a concern at the last inspection but had now been resolved. A new system had been introduced to monitor visit times and was audited by management.
Care plans were person-centred, and people and relatives told us they were involved in their planning of care. People told us they were treated with respect and their dignity promoted. People and relatives described the staff as very good and caring.
Staff recruitment processes were robust. Staff received training and people told us staff were skilled. Senior personnel made spot checks to assess staff competency and to provide additional training if required.
People received their medicines as prescribed and people confirmed that staff used PPE appropriately to reduce the risk of infection. The service worked with health and social care professionals and people told us they were confident that if they required medical assistance staff would refer to the relevant professional.
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.
The registered manager recognised people using the service may experience loneliness and isolation, and the management team had been working closely with the organisations in the local community to provide people with advice and support.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection: The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 27 February 2019).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.