Helping Hands Beverley

Updated 28 June 2023

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 1 inspector and an Expert by Experience who made calls to people and their families. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

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 provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service. 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

We spoke with 3 people who use the service and 4 relatives about their experience of care provided. We spoke with 4 members of staff, including the registered manager and 3 care workers. We also spoke with 1 professional. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 care records and medication records. We looked at other records relating to the management of the service including recruitment, staff training and supervision, and systems for monitoring quality.

Updated 28 June 2023

At the time of the inspection, the location did not care or support anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Helping Hands Beverley is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people who live in their own homes in Beverley and surrounding areas. They were previously registered as Helping Hands Beverley & Hull. The service provides support to older people, people living with dementia, learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorder and people with a physical disability. It also provides support to people with a sensory impairment and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were 61 people who were receiving a service from this provider.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. Care Quality Commission (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

Right Support:

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 were involved in assessments, care planning and managing risks. Care records provided good quality information to ensure people received the right support. Staff supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity and understood and responded to people’s individual needs. People could communicate with staff and understood information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. Staff had received training on how to recognise abuse and they knew how to apply it. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Right Culture:

The service had a positive culture that was person centred. Staff told us they enjoyed their job and making a positive different to someone’s life. People received good quality care, support, and treatment because staff were able to meet their needs and wishes. People and those important to them were involved in the planning of care. The provider had clear and effective governance systems in place that identified and managed risks through audits and action plans.

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 good (published 31 December 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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