Helping Hands North Norfolk

Updated 12 March 2020

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

This inspection was completed by one inspector and an 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.

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 should have 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. The registered manager for this service had left the service shortly before this inspection. A manager registered at another Helping Hands branch was temporarily managing this service whilst a suitable replacement was being recruited.

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. We also needed to gain consent to contact people using the service.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with three people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including, the provider’s regional manager, the acting interim manager and four care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records in depth, samples of other records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision and reviewed the provider’s training records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed; including audits, quality assurance records, complaints and incident records, policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 12 March 2020

About the service

Helping Hands North Norfolk is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes in the North Norfolk area. Not everyone who used the service received the regulated activity of personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care; this is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people do we also consider any wider social care provided. Therefore, whilst the service currently supports over 28 people, only 12 of these were receiving personal care. This inspection therefore only focused on the service provided to these 12 people.

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

The service’s registered manager had recently left and there was an interim management structure in place whilst a new manager was recruited. This included the frequent presence of an experienced registered manager from another branch. There were some shortfalls in the governance, quality assurance systems and organisation of the service which required improvement. Whilst this had not substantially impacted on the people using the service, it increased the risk of issues occurring. The interim management was already aware of many of the issues and was in the process of addressing them. Feedback from people and staff regarding the management team was that they were approachable, empathetic and supportive.

People were protected from abuse, neglect and discrimination. Staff ensured people's safety and acted when necessary to prevent any harm. We found initial care plans and risks assessments were thorough. People received their medicines according to prescriber's instructions. Recruitment practice ensured staff were of appropriate character to provide a professional and caring service. There was enough staff to provide the care, however some people told us there was inconsistency of staff visiting which impacted on the effectiveness and value of the relationships. The service had recently recruited additional staff to address this issue.

Staff received sufficient training and most people said staff were skilled in providing their care. We received mixed feedback regarding staff’s ability to care effectively for people living with dementia. Staff monitored people's health and helped them access health and social care services whenever needed. 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.

People told us the staff were kind, considerate and helpful. People felt staff promoted their dignity and maximised their independence. People were involved in their care planning and were always consulted prior to care-giving.

The care provided was personalised to meet individual needs and preferences. The service was usually able to respond quickly to changes but was not always good at reviewing care plans holistically. The service was quick to respond to complaints or concerns raised, took steps to disseminate lessons learnt and reflect on best practice.

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 17 September 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on our inspection schedule.

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.