Helping Hands Barnet

Updated 30 January 2019

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 comprehensive inspection took place on 6 and 7 November 2018 and was announced. We gave the service short notice of our inspection to ensure that people using the service could decide if they wished to receive a telephone call from us and to ensure we had the correct contact details for people and their relatives.

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.

Inspection site visit activity started on 6 November and ended on 7 November 2018. We visited the office location on 6 November 2018 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. On 7 November 2018 we made telephone calls to people that used the service and their relatives. We also met with people using the service to gain their feedback on the service.

Before the inspection took place, we looked at information we held about the service including registration information and statutory notifications. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. Due to technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During our inspection we spoke with the branch manager, area manager, head of homecare, quality partner and three care staff. We also spoke with 14 people who used the service and three relatives. We looked at a range of documents and written records including four people's care records, three staff recruitment records and information relating to staff training and the auditing and monitoring of service provision.

Updated 30 January 2019

The inspection took place on 6 and 7 November 2018 and was announced.

This is the first inspection of the service since their registration on 7 November 2017 with the Care Quality Commission.

Helping Hands Barnet and Enfield is a domiciliary care agency and provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older people, younger adults and people with complex needs such as diabetes, dementia and physical disabilities.

Not everyone using Helping Hands Barnet and Enfield receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. There were 21 people receiving personal care at the time of the inspection.

At the time of our inspection, there was a branch manager at the service who had applied to become registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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 told us they felt safe when staff were in their home and when they received care.

The service had safeguarding and whistle-blowing procedures in place. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report any concerns and incidents of alleged abuse.

Medicines were managed appropriately and people were receiving their medicines as prescribed by health care professionals.

There was enough staff available to meet people's care and support needs. Risks to people had been assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure their needs were safely met.

Recruitment practices ensured the right staff were recruited to support people. Staff had the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to support people in their own homes. Staff completed an induction when they started work and they received training relevant to people's needs.

Staff received training in infection control and food hygiene and they were aware of the steps to take to reduce the risk of the spread of infections. Staff carried personal protective equipment like disposable gloves and aprons.

Assessments of people's care and support needs were carried out before they started using the service. These were reviewed on a regular basis to ensure their needs continued to be met by staff.

People's care files included assessments relating to their dietary support needs. Staff supported people to maintain a balanced diet and monitor their nutritional health.

Staff worked in partnership with health care professionals which helped improve the outcomes of people's health and well-being. Staff made referrals to health care professionals when people's care needs changed.

The branch manager understood their responsibility to comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us that their choices and preferences were fully considered and the care records provided evidence of their involvement.

Staff treated people in a caring, respectful and dignified manner. People communicated their needs effectively and understood information in the current written format provided.

People and their relatives could raise concerns and appropriate actions were taken by the service to resolve their concerns.

Staff had access to out of hours on-call system that ensured management support and advice was always available for staff when they needed it and this allowed people’s care to continue at all times.

People, their relatives and staff spoke positively of the leadership and management of the service.

There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and to drive improvements.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.