Background to this inspection
Updated
9 July 2021
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. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
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 the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 14 June 2021 and ended on 18 June 2021. We visited the office location on 15 June 2021.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and health professionals who have worked with the service. 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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection-
We spoke with one person and three family members about their experience of the care provided. We interviewed the registered manager and three members of staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care and medication records, three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also reviewed records relating to management and governance which included policies, audits and incident/accident records.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at medication audit records, staff training records and further policies and procedures.
Updated
9 July 2021
About the service
HelpR Ltd is a domiciliary care service. The service provides care and support to older people and individuals with frailty who are living in their own homes. Not everyone who uses the service receives personal care. 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. On the day of the inspection there were ten people receiving this type of support.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Staff were recruited in a safe way, with appropriate checks made by the registered manager prior to being appointed. People felt safe with the staff who supported them, and the staff knew them well. Trusting relationships were built between people and staff, and this in turn developed good rapport and communication between staff, the people they supported, and their wider family. Staff were knowledgeable about risks and well trained, and followed best practice procedures.
People received individual and person centred care and support. Staff were well supported by the registered manager who had good oversight of their performance. Referrals were made in a timely manner to associated health professionals when required, and family involved when appropriate.
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.
The registered manager had made significant improvements to the management arrangements resulting in improved auditing and oversight of the quality of the service. People, staff and families we spoke with told us they felt involved and included in decisions, and the service was well managed. We also received very positive feedback from health professionals who had worked with the service to support people.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 13 October 2020).
The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We carried out an announced targeted inspection of this service on 10 September 2020. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve their management oversight of the quality of care, how they recruited staff, and their processes for sending in the required notifications to CQC.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for HelpR Ltd 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.