Background to this inspection
Updated
4 April 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: The inspection was conducted by one inspector.
Service and service type: Helpers Homecare is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care for people living in their own houses and flats in the community. These include younger adults, older people, people living with dementia and/or physical disabilities.
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 two days’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that someone would be available to support the inspection.
What we did: Before our inspection we reviewed information that we held about the service including statutory notifications that had been submitted. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We reviewed the provider information return (PIR). This is information that the provider is required to send to us, which gives us some key information about the service and tells us what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make. We also contacted local authority monitoring teams for their feedback about the quality of service provided.
Inspection activity started on 13 March 2019 and ended on 26 March 2019. We visited the office location on 13 March 2019 to meet with the registered manager and office staff; and to review records including care plans, staff recruitment documentation, training records and quality audits.
We spoke with 15 people who used the service, nine relatives and eight staff members by telephone on 26 March 2019 to gather their views about the service provided.
Updated
4 April 2019
About the service: Helpers Homecare is a domiciliary care service. The service is registered to provide care and support for older people and younger adults who may experience dementia, sensory impairments, learning disabilities, physical impairments or mental health issues. At the time of this inspection 205 people were using the service.
People’s experience of using this service:
People were safe and protected from avoidable harm because staff knew how to identify and report any concerns relating to the risk of abuse. They were familiar with how to report concerns to agencies outside of the organisation. Risks to people`s health, safety and well-being were assessed and measures put in place to remove or reduce the risks. People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited through a robust process.
People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff had received appropriate training and had their competency assessed to help ensure they were sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable in this area. Staff had received training in infection control practices and personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons was provided for them. The management team took appropriate actions following incidents and learning was shared with staff.
Before care delivery started the provider completed assessments to make sure people`s needs could be met by Helpers Homecare. Care plans were developed from these assessments for each person’s identified needs and staff had clear guidance on how to meet those needs. Staff received training and support to enable them to carry out their roles effectively.
People told us staff prepared simple meals for them as needed and encouraged people to take fluids to maintain their health and wellbeing. Staff and management knew people well and were able to promptly identify when people`s needs changed and sought professional advice appropriately. Staff were proactive in identifying if people were unwell and contacted appropriate healthcare professionals as needed. Mental capacity assessments were carried out where needed to establish if people making decisions affecting their lives had the capacity to do so.
People and their relatives praised the kind and caring nature of staff. People received consistent care from a small team of staff. Staff helped to relieve people’s distress and discomfort, and supported people to maintain personal relationships. They also helped to support people during times of emotional upheaval and supported people above and beyond their care responsibilities. People told us they knew about their care plans and they could decide what care and support they needed. People’s records were held securely in a locked cabinet within a locked office to help promote confidentiality.
People received care and support as they wished. People told us they would be confident to raise any concerns with the management team. However, everyone we spoke with during this inspection was satisfied with the care and support they received. The service provided support for people at the end of their lives to enable people to remain in their own homes.
The provider was committed to providing a high standard of care to the people they supported and understood their responsibilities under the Duty of Candour. People, their relatives and staff members spoke highly of the provider and registered manager and told us that they were always available and supportive. People told us that they were asked for their views about the quality of the service.
Rating at last inspection: At our last inspection, the service was rated “Good”. Our last report was published on 22 June 2016.
Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating of the service.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk