We carried out a review of the data available to us about Helping Hands Watford on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Helping Hands Watford, you can give feedback on this service.
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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe. One person said, “I feel tremendously safe with these carers, they are very good at caring for me.” Risks associated with care and the environment were identified and safely managed. There were enough staff to meet people's needs consistently. Staff protected people from avoidable harm, were knowledgeable about safeguarding and felt able to report their concerns. Systems were in place to recruit staff safely. Staff administered people’s medicines when required and these were safely managed.
Staff received training in key areas, and plans were in place to source further training for staff. Staff received support to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. New staff received an induction and shadowed the management team as part of this. Systems were in place to ensure information to support people was shared and discussed appropriately with health professionals, where necessary.
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. Consent to care was sought and staff understood people's rights to make their own decisions.
People told us staff were kind and caring. People had built meaningful relationships with staff and felt they were listened to. Staff were aware of the importance of promoting people’s dignity and maintaining their privacy.
People's needs were assessed before they began to use the service and care plans were developed from this information. People felt the service responded to their needs in a way that met their preferences. A system was in place for responding to people's concerns and complaints. People felt confident to raise any concerns. No person required end of life care at the time of inspection, however training was planned to be provided to staff in case people needed this support .
People, their relatives and staff felt the service was well led. Quality assurance systems identified where the service needed to improve and ensured the service was safely managed. Improvements around training, and rostering people’s care calls were known and being reviewed. The registered manager was responsive to any issues raised during the inspection and demonstrated a passion and enthusiasm for driving improvements where identified.
You can read the report from this comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Helping Hands Watford on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection and update:
This service was registered with us on 30 November 2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the service’s registration date.
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.