Helping Hands Bromley

Updated 22 January 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience (ExE) who made phone calls to people and their relatives. An ExE is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The ExE had experience working with older people.

Service and service type: Helping Hands Bromley is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the manager is often out of the office. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Inspection site visit activity took place on 18 December 2019. We visited the office location to see the manager and office staff; and to review care and management records.

What we did:

Before inspection: We reviewed the information, the provider sent to us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we held about the service which included notifications of events and incidents at the service.

During inspection: We spoke with six people using service, three relatives, the registered manager, regional director, two care workers and two field supervisors/training practitioners. We looked at four care files, including medicine administration records, three staff files, quality assurance reports and other records relating to the management of the service including incidents and accidents records.

Updated 22 January 2020

About the service: Helping Hands Bromley is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes in the community. 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 our inspection, 16 people were receiving personal care from the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were protected from the risk of avoidable harm as risk management plans were in place and provided guidance to staff to support people safely. There were enough staff available to deliver safe support to people and people received their care visits as planned. People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew of actions to take to safeguard people from abuse. Lessons were learned from incidents and accidents. Staff followed infection control procedures to reduce risks of infection.

People’s care needs were assessed following best practice guidance. People were supported to meet their nutritional and hydration needs. Staff supported people to access healthcare services to maintain good health. Staff liaised with other agencies to ensure people’s care and support were effectively planned and delivered. Staff were supported to be effective in their roles through induction, training, supervision and appraisals.

The registered manager understood their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. People consented to their care before it was delivered. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and gave them choice and control over their care and support. People were supported to promote and maintain their independence.

People received support to meet their individual needs and requirements. People’s care plans were comprehensive and provided guidance to staff on how to support their needs. Staff treated people as individuals and promoted their religious and cultural beliefs.

There was a complaints procedure available. People and their relatives knew how to make a complain if they were unhappy with the service. Complaints were addressed in line with the provider’s procedure. The views of people were sought and used to improve the service. Quality checks and audits took place to assess the service delivered. The provider worked in partnership with other organisations to develop 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: The last rating for this service was Good (published 21/06/2017).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to review information we receive about the service until we return to visit as part of our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.