Caring Heart and Hands LTD

Updated 2 August 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

Inspection site visit activity started on 25 May 2018 and ended on 1 June 2018. We visited the office location on 25 May 2018 and 1 June 2018 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

This inspection was conducted by an adult social care inspector. Prior to the inspection we collected and analysed information we held about the service such as statutory notifications and feedback forms. We also gathered feedback from the local authority prior to our inspection which we used to inform our planning.

During the inspection we spoke with six staff, including the registered manager, deputy manager, senior team leaders and carers. We also conducted telephone interviews with three people who used the service and two relatives, to gather their feedback.

We also reviewed records and documents relevant to people’s care and the safe operation of the service. For example, we looked at six people’s care plans, five staff recruitment files, the service’s complaints log and six people’s medicines administration records.

Updated 2 August 2018

This inspection took place on 25 May and 1 June 2018, and was announced. This was the service's first comprehensive inspection since it was registered in January 2017.

Caring Heart and Hands LTD is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults. There were 33 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

Not everyone using Caring Heart and Hands LTD receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe. Staff received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and were able to describe how they would do so in practice. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs, and staff had been recruited safely. People told us staff were generally on time for their care visits.

Medicines were managed safely. Staff were trained in this topic and people told us they received their medicines on time. Guidance for staff on what medicines people required and why they needed them was clear, for example medicines that were ‘as and when required’ or ‘PRN’ as this is also known.

Risks to people were appropriately assessed and personalised to reflect how risks presented to each person and what staff needed to do to make sure people were safe. Accidents and incidents were recorded and investigated appropriately. There was a business continuity plan in place to guide staff on how to act in the event of a significant disruption to the service.

Staff were trained in preventing infections and there were large stocks of personal protective equipment available. Spot checks conducted by senior staff ensured this was used during visits.

New staff received a thorough induction which included training the provider considered to be mandatory as well as joining shifts with experienced staff before they were allowed to work with vulnerable people. Staff were supported with supervisions and appraisals which staff we spoke with told us were useful. Staff were able to access training relevant to people’s needs if necessary.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and people told us the service was proactive in helping them access healthcare professionals when needed.

People and their relatives we spoke with said staff were kind, caring and compassionate. People were supported to maintain their independence, and staff were able to describe how they ensured people’s dignity and privacy was maintained.

Care plans were detailed and person centred. People’s needs were appropriately assessed before using the service. Care plans were reviewed regularly and in response to changing circumstances.

There was a complaints process in place, and people knew how to raise complaints. People we spoke with were confident they could raise issues and that they would be resolved.

There was a clear vision for the future of the service and both staff and people who used the service were kept informed of this. Staff told us they were confident in the leadership of the service and they felt there was a positive culture.

There were quality assurance processes in place. This included audits and data analysis. Quality assurance processes ensured issues could be identified and tracked until they were resolved in order to drive improvements.

The service engaged with people through newsletters, questionnaires and during spot checks to assess staff practice. The service acted upon feedback it received through action plans.