Helping Hands Wigan

Updated 25 January 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection / performance review and assessment under Sections 46 and 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.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we only physically visited the office of the location for 3 hours. This was due to the provider informing us on arrival all documentation was stored on a secure file sharing platform. We then utilised our new remote approach to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. This involves using technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience, who conducted telephone calls with people using the service and their relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

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

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 24 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. The notice period also allowed the provider time to start asking people using the service and their relatives, if they would be prepared to speak to us about their experiences.

Inspection activity started on 6 December 2022 and ended on 19 December 2022, by which time we had sought the views of people, relatives and staff, reviewed all additional information sent following the visit and completed a video feedback call with the provider and registered manager. We visited the location’s office on 7 December 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. This included notifications sent to us by the service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send to us without delay. 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 sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

This performance review and assessment was carried out with only a short visit to the location’s office. We predominantly used technology such as phone or video calls to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

We asked all 16 people receiving regulated activity if they would be prepared to speak with us. Ten agreed, although all but 1 requested we speak with their relative or next of kin. As such, we spoke with 1 person who used the service and 8 relatives about the care and support provided. We spoke with the registered manager and the providers quality assurance busi

Updated 25 January 2023

About the service

Helping Hands Wigan is a domiciliary care service based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The service provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received 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. At the time of inspection 16 people received personal care and were included in the inspection.

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

People and relatives told us care was provided in a safe way which met people’s needs. Staff received training in safeguarding and knew how to identify and report concerns. People’s care visits were completed on time and people received continuity of care. Risks to people had been assessed, with clear guidance in place for staff to follow to help keep themselves and people safe. Medicines were managed safely by staff who were trained and been assessed as competent.

People and relatives told us staff were competent and appeared well trained. Records showed staff had completed required training and supervision to ensure they could provide safe and effective care. People were supported to have maximum 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 receiving support with food and drink told us they were happy with the assistance provided..

People and relatives were complimentary about the standard of care provided by the service. Staff were described as “polite”, “attentive” and “respectful”. Care staff had formed positive relationships with people and their relatives, who told us they would recommend the service to others. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. People were offered choice and encouraged to complete tasks they could manage for themselves, to ensure they retained as much independence as possible.

People and relatives told us they were involved in discussions about the care provided. Care plans were detailed and clearly explained how people wanted to be supported. Information was available in a range of formats to meet people’s communication needs. The complaints process had been provided to people. Each person or relative we spoke with knew how to raise concerns but had not needed to.

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the management of the service and support provided. A range of systems and processes were used to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the service, with an improvement plan used to ensure any identified issues were addressed.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 25 November 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration in order to provide an initial rating for the service.

Follow up

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

This inspection was predominantly completed using remote technology. This means we only visited the office location for a short period of time then used technology such as electronic file sharing to gather information, and video and phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff as part of this performance review and assessment.