20 January 2020
During a routine inspection
Gentle Hands Care Agency Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses. The service also provides care and support to 15 people living in six ‘supported living’ settings.
People supported by the organisation have a range of physical and mental health needs and people who have a learning disability. At the time of our inspection the service was providing care to 25 people.
The supported living service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of the service
People and their relatives were happy with the service and told us staff were kind to them, and understood their needs. Care was provided by staff who had worked on a consistent basis with people which contributed to a good quality service.
Risk assessments were in place to provide guidance to staff and care support plans were comprehensive and up to date. People were safeguarded against the risks of abuse and harm by the systems and by the staff. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and provide responsive care.
Safe recruitment practices took place so staff were considered appropriate to work with vulnerable people. Staff received training and supervision for their role.
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 were supported to access external health professionals to help promote good health and wellbeing.
There were effective quality assurance processes in place including spot checks of staff and audits of medicines.
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 the service was good (published 4 August 2017).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.