Helping Hands Birmingham

Updated 21 May 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service 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. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 22 April 2021 and ended on 28 April 2021. We visited the office location on 22 April 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

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

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. 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 also considered 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.

Updated 21 May 2021

Helping Hands Birmingham is a domiciliary service which provides personal care to adults with a range of support needs in their houses and flats. At the time of this inspection the service was supporting 36 people.

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 were protected from abuse and relatives told us their loved ones received safe care. People received support from a regular staff team and staff were recruited safely. Staff were trained to administer medicines safely. Competency checks had been completed to ensure staff were following safe medicine practices.

Staff had received training in infection control and demonstrated an understanding of what personal protective equipment (PPE) should be used when supporting people. People told us that staff wore PPE (personal protective equipment) whilst spending time in their homes.

People's needs were assessed and staff with the right skills helped to meet these. Staff supported people with their eating, drinking and to access healthcare support.

There was an enthusiastic, positive and caring culture amongst staff at the service. Staff had good knowledge about the people they supported and told us they enjoyed working at the service. People were cared for by staff with sincerity, kindness and compassion and in a calm unhurried manner. Staff supported people in a dignified and respectful way. People's independence was promoted and respected.

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.

Complaints were effectively resolved and actions taken were effective to prevent similar issues in future.

People and their relatives were able to give feedback about their care in a variety of ways. Examples included satisfaction surveys and during spot checks which monitored staff performance. The provider had systems and processes in place to retain oversight of people's care and ensure good standards were consistently met.

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 12 April 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out due to the length of time the provider had been registered with CQC without receiving a formal rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.