Helping Hands Bury St Edmunds

Updated 14 September 2021

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one Inspector.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission.

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 that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 23 August 2021 and ended on 1 September 2021. We visited the office location on 25 August 2021.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the manager, regional manager and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. Also, a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

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 14 September 2021

Helping Hands, Bury St Edmunds is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. 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. At the time of this inspection there were 35 people using the service, 23 of these were receiving support with personal care.

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

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 and their relatives told us they felt safe using the service. Staff knew how to keep people safe and had received safeguarding training with guidance provided to enable them to report concerns.

People's risks and wellbeing had been assessed. Staff were recruited safely and assessed as suitable for the work they were employed to perform. Staff received induction training, including shadowing more experienced staff. Ongoing training and supervision were provided, including spot checks on staff competency in the areas such as the management of medicines and safe moving and handling of people.

People were supported with food and drink according to their assessed needs. The service worked with other healthcare professionals to ensure people received the care and support they needed.

People received quality care that was personalised to meet their individual needs. People told us staff were caring and kind and treated people with dignity and respect. People told us they were very happy with the care they received.

People's needs and preferences had been assessed and staff knew people well. Staff provided people with emotional and social support as well as personal care. People knew how to raise concerns and complaints and told us these were always responded to quickly.

There were quality assurance systems in place to ensure effective oversight and monitoring of the service.

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 04/06/2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to the service not having been inspected since registration and concerns received about late and missed calls. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

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.