Helping Hands Redditch & Bromsgrove

Updated 26 June 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

One inspector and an expert by experience carried out this inspection. 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 the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because senior staff are often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be available. The inspection took place on 29 April and 30 April 2019. We visited the office location on these dates to see the registered manager and to review care records and policies and procedures.

What we did:

Prior to the inspection we looked at the information we had about the home. This information included the statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We had not requested the provider to complete the Provider Information Record (PIR) before the inspection. This is a form that asks the provider to give information about the home, tells us what the home does well and the improvements they plan to make

During the inspection we spoke to the registered manager, operations manager and quality assurance manager, a care coordinator and four staff. We looked at five people’s care records, five staff files and other records relating to the management of the service including policies and procedures. After the inspection we spoke to 11 people using the service and four relatives and asked them for their views about the service.

Updated 26 June 2019

Helping Hands Redditch and Bromsgrove Care Services is a domiciliary care agency. At the time of the inspection they were providing personal care to 56 people., in their own homes.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe with staff. They said staff were kind, able to meet their needs and supported them in a dignified, respectful way which maintained their privacy and independence. The provider made sure people received support from the same staff. A relative of a person using the service told us, “They are polite and friendly. They always shout out cheerio to him when they leave.”

People received a service which was personalised and met their needs. They told us the service enabled them to remain as independent as possible and to live in their own homes. People were cared for by a consistent team of staff who were skilled and competent in providing care and support. Staff and the registered manager showed a genuine interest and passion to deliver personalised care based on people's likes, wishes and preferences.

Support was planned and delivered in a structured way to ensure people's safety and wellbeing. Staff had access to up to date information about how to support people and communication with health and social care professionals was effective in ensuring people received joined up care.

The provider had aims and standards for the service and told people what they should expect from staff and the service in respect of the quality of care they received. All staff had clearly defined roles and duties and the registered manager understood their legal responsibilities regarding the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The provider worked in partnership with other agencies such as local authorities funding people’s care to develop and improve the support provided.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the service’s first inspection since their registration in March 2018.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned comprehensive inspection. All services registered with CQC must have an inspection within the first year of their registration.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned in line with our inspection schedule or in response to concerns.

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