Helping Hands Hertford

Ratings

• Overall

  Good

• Safe

  Good

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Good

Our view of the service

Helping Hands Hertford is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. This was the first assessment carried out under our single assessment framework. This assessment was announced. Assessment activity started on 29 July and ended on 03 September 2024. At the time of our assessment, the service was providing the regulated activity to 39 people. We looked at a total of 15 quality statements, all of which were in the safe and well led key question. At our last inspection (report published 12 June 2021) the service was rated Requires Improvement, and we found a breach in regulation. At this assessment we found improvements had been made. The provider is no longer in breach of regulation. People, relatives and staff all offered positive feedback about their experiences of the service. Whilst we noted some inconsistencies, in particular the timeliness of calls and discrepancies within some records, any risks to people were mitigated by the knowledge and awareness of the staff. The provider had a system of audit and checks in place. Where we identified improvements, the registered manager was receptive, took immediate action where needed and provided assurances of the further action they had planned. Safeguarding processes were effective and any untoward events were reported, recorded and referred where required. Safe recruitment processes were followed and training, spot checks and supervision supported staff in their roles. Information was freely shared with staff to give feedback, inform of any changes and to recognise good practice.

People's experience of this service

People felt the care and support they received was safe and provided by consistent staff, who knew them well. They gave positive feedback when speaking about staff, describing them as knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. People were supported by a robust assessment process, which they and their relatives were fully involved in. All of the people and relatives we spoke with as part of this assessment felt that the service met their needs and felt that both the staff and management were approachable and receptive to any feedback they shared.