Background to this inspection
Updated
28 December 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. 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 was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. Staff provided live-in care with people they were providing personal care to.
The service had a manager who was going through the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. This meant that the provider was legally responsible for how the service was run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 4 November 2019 and ended on 5 November 2019 , after we visited the registered office.
What we did before the inspection
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We reviewed all the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included statutory notifications and safeguarding concerns about incidents and events the provider must notify us about. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with five relatives of people who were or who had previously used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the area manager, the branch manager, team leader and two residential support workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and their medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance records and policies and procedures.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at key policies and procedures and training information.
Updated
28 December 2019
About the service
Helping Hands is a domiciliary care service providing live-in care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were three people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People valued their close relationships with staff and felt they often went ‘the extra mile’ which made them feel valued and cared for. Staff treated people with extreme kindness, compassion and respect. Staff were highly motivated and expressed determination to overcome any obstacles so that people could achieve exceptional outcomes.
People were fully supported to express their views and be totally involved in making decisions about their care.
The staff were exceptional at helping people to express their views and they used a variety of tools to communicate with people according to their needs.
Respect for people’s privacy and dignity was at the heart of the service’s culture and values. People and staff felt respected and listened to. The service provided a high standard of care to people with palliative and end of life care needs. They supported families through difficult conversations and offered support to bereaved families.
People received safe care and were protected against avoidable harm, neglect and discrimination. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and strategies were put in place to reduce the risks.
People received support from staff who had undergone a robust recruitment process. They were supported by regular live-in staff who knew them and their needs well, which promoted continuity of care. Where the provider took on the responsibility, people's medicines were safely managed. Systems were in place to control and prevent the spread of infection.
People’s needs, and choices were fully assessed before they received a care package. Staff received an induction and ongoing training that enabled them to have the skills and knowledge to provide effective care.
Where the provider took on the responsibility, people were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their dietary needs. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and supported them to access healthcare services when 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 and their families were fully involved in the care planning and reviews of their care. The provider had a complaints procedure which was accessible to people using the service. This was used effectively when complaints were received.
The management and staff team demonstrated they were passionate about providing good quality care and worked tirelessly to ensure people were cared for not only emotionally but physically.
The service had good governance systems in place to ensure all aspects of the service and peoples care were continuously assessed and monitored. The service worked in partnership with outside agencies.
Rating at last inspection.
The last rating for this service was Good (published 22 June 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Helping Hands Leicester on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.