We carried out a review of the data available to us about Helping Hands Newport Pagnell on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Helping Hands Newport Pagnell, you can give feedback on this service.
Helping Hands Newport Pagnell is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were 81 people using the service.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The 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. During this inspection there were 50 people receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
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, consistent staff who knew them and their needs well.
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. The provider ensured that lessons were learned when things went wrong, so that improvements could be made to the service and the care people received.
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.
People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain their health and well-being. Staff placed a strong emphasis on the dining experience to ensure it was enjoyed by all. For example, staff were able to cook people meals from fresh if they wanted to use this service.
Staff supported people to live healthier lives and access healthcare services. People could be supported to attend healthcare appointments if it was 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.
Staff had built up caring and compassionate relationships with the people they provided care to. People and relatives, where appropriate, were involved in the planning of people’s care and support. People's privacy and dignity was always maintained.
Care plans were detailed and supported staff to provide personalised care. There was a complaints procedure in place and systems to deal with complaints effectively. The service provided appropriate end of life care to people when required.
The service was well managed. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and actions were taken, and improvements were made when required. Everyone without exception praised highly the registered manager and senior staff team who they said were approachable, resourceful and provided strong leadership.
The service worked in partnership with outside agencies. Staff, people using the services and relatives were encouraged to provide feedback which was analysed and acted upon.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good. (published 1 August 2017)
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.
Helping Hands Newport Pagnell provides personal care to people who live in their own homes in order for them to maintain their independence.
At the time of our inspection the provider confirmed they were providing personal care to 8 people.
There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Staff had an understanding of abuse and the safeguarding procedures that should be followed to report abuse and people had risk assessments in place to enable them to be as independent as possible.
Effective recruitment processes were in place and followed by the service and there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people's care and support needs
People told us that their medicines were administered safely and on time.
Staff members had induction training when joining the service, as well as regular on-going training. Staff members were regularly encouraged to improve their skills with training.
Staff were well supported by the registered manager and senior team, and had regular one to one
supervisions.
People's consent was gained before any care was provided and the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were met.
People were able to choose the food and drink they wanted and staff supported people with this.
People were supported to access health appointments when necessary.
Staff supported people in a caring manner. They knew the people they were supporting well and
understood their needs and preferences.
People were involved in their own care planning and were able to contribute to the way in which they were supported.
People's privacy and dignity was maintained at all times.
The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to use it.
Quality monitoring systems and processes were used effectively to drive future improvement and identify where action was needed.