Helping Hands Richmond

Updated 15 July 2022

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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

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

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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.

Inspection activity started on 08 June 2022 and ended on 10 June 2022. We visited the location’s office on 09 June 2022.

What we did before the inspection

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 also analysed the provider electronic call monitoring system. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, a care co-ordinator and two care assistants. We reviewed five people’s care records and two people’s medicine administration records. We reviewed a range of documentation in relation to the service.

Following the inspection, we spoke with four people and/or their relatives.

Updated 15 July 2022

About the service

Helping Hands Richmond is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 20 people. The service provides support to older people and those with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People felt safe and that they were well cared for by the staff that visited them. Effective measures were in place for infection prevention and control. Any potential risks to people were reviewed, and the clinical team ensured there was clear guidance for staff.

Staff were recruited safely and received regular training and competency assessments. People were supported to access healthcare professionals when they needed to. Where people needed support with eating, drinking or meal preparation the service supported this.

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 respected people’s diverse needs and treated them with privacy and dignity. People spoke highly of the care they received.

People received care that met their preferences and supported them to be independent where possible. Complaints were promptly responded to.

The service was well managed by a registered manager who took a person-centred approach. Staff worked together as a team and their development was encouraged by the provider. Quality assurances systems effectively monitored the running of the service.

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 16 November 2018)

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.