About the service Helping Hands Letchworth is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to 19 people at the time of the inspection.
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 they were safe and well supported by the service. Individual risks were assessed, and staff were aware of these. Reviews of events and accidents were carried out and to check if any actions were needed. Medicines were managed well, and staff knew how to report any concerns about a person’s safety or welfare. People told us staff arrived when they should, stayed for the required time and did not miss calls.
Staff received appropriate training for their roles and people felt they had good knowledge and skills. Staff felt supported by the provider and management team. People told us staff assisted them with eating and drinking as needed and respected their preferences and choices. People were asked to give their consent for support and the principles of the Mental Capacity Act were followed.
People and relatives told us staff were kind and caring and positively impacted on their lives. Staff enjoyed working for the service and told us the culture was to ensure care was person centred. Care plans included all information needed to support people safely and in accordance with their wishes and preferences. These were reviewed regularly.
People, relatives and staff were asked for their views about the service and felt listened to. There were robust monitoring processes in place to help ensure a good standard of service. Quality assurance systems identified any areas that needed further development. The registered manager was away from the service at the time of the inspection, the service was supported by an interim manager. They worked closely with the care team co-ordinators and regional manager to help ensure a smooth transition and a good service for people.
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 31 May 2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the registration date of the service.
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.