Helping Hands Lutterworth

Updated 2 November 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection site visit took place on 14 September 2018. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and one expert by experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. They supported us by speaking with people who used the service.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the PIR as part of the planning process for this inspection, as well as other information we held about the service, including previous reports and statutory notifications sent to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) by the provider. Statutory notifications are information about important events at the service, such as safeguarding concerns, which the provider is required to send to us by law.

We spoke with four people and to one relative to seek their views about the care they received. We also spoke with the registered manager, the head of homecare, the area manager and one member of care staff.

We reviewed care plans for three people to see if they were reflective of the care that people were receiving.

We also looked at staff files for two staff members, which included recruitment and training information. Records relating to the management of the service were also reviewed, including audits and quality assurance checks, to monitor how the service was being managed.

Updated 2 November 2018

The inspection took place 14 September 2018 and it was announced.

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

On the day of our visit there were 28 people using the service.

There was a registered manager. 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.

People who used the service felt safe felt safe. Staff knew how to recognise abuse and how to report it. Risks were assessed so that staff knew what action to take to keep people safe. They did this while also promoting people’s independence..

There were sufficient numbers of staff, with the required knowledge, skills and experience to support people with their needs. Recruitment processes were safe and this meant that only people of suitable character and experience were employed.

Medicines were managed in a safe way Staff had received medicines training and knew the level of support people required with their medicine.

Staff were knowledgeable about the needs of the people they supported. People were supported to make choices about their care and daily lives. Staff had attended training to ensure they were able to provide care based on current practice when assisting people.

Staff always gained consent before supporting people. There were policies and procedures in place in relation to the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. New documentation was being introduced to ensure these processes were followed and correctly recorded. Staff knew how to use them to protect people who were unable to make decisions for themselves.

People made choices about the food and drink they had, and staff gave support when required. People had access to a variety of health care professionals and staff supported people to access these where this was required.

People were treated with kindness and compassion by the staff. Staff knew people well and often went that extra mile to make sure people were as comfortable as possible. People’s social needs as well as their physical and emotional needs were incorporated into the plan of care.

People and their relatives were involved in making decisions and planning their care, and their views were listened to and acted upon. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. People knew how to raise concerns and had confidence that they would be listened to and action would be taken. Feedback provided was used to make improvements to the service.

People were complimentary about the registered manager and staff. Relationships between people and staff were positive and people had confidence in the service. There were effective quality monitoring systems. A variety of audits were carried out and this meant that any shortfalls were quickly identified and used to drive improvements.