Caring Hands (Care Services) Limited

Updated 10 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. 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.

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 three working days’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 16th December 2019 and ended on 17th December 2019. We visited the office location on 16th December.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service since the last inspection. This included statutory notifications that had been submitted. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service.

On this occasion we had not asked the provider to complete a provider information return (PIR). A PIR is information we require providers to send us, to give key information about the service. This includes what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, we offered the registered manager the opportunity to share information they felt was relevant. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people and two relatives on the telephone and visited one person who had agreed for us to visit them in their own home. At the registered office we spoke with the registered manager, three office staff and five care staff. We received feedback from three health and social care professionals.

We reviewed a range of records which included five people’s care records, along with a variety of medicine records and daily log sheets. We also reviewed information which detailed when people had their support visits, quality monitoring, and records in relation to the management of the service including policies and procedures. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, training and supervision.

Updated 10 January 2020

About the service

Caring Hands (Care Services) Ltd is a domiciliary care provider based in Tibshelf. They provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the surrounding villages, so they can live as independently as possible. At the time of our inspection 33 people were using the service. 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

There were enough staff to effectively meet the current packages of care for people’s needs. People were supported by staff who had the knowledge and skills to ensure they were safe from harm. Risk assessments had been completed, to assess and reduce any risks associated with the required support. Staff were recruited in line with best practice. The provider had reflected on any incidents and lessons had been learned.

People were supported by a regular team of care staff, people said they usually received their calls on time. Where people received assistance to take medicines, records were kept so this was done safely. When people required assistance to eat or drink, the provider ensured this was planned to meet their preferences and their current assessed need. People had support when required, to liaise with healthcare professionals to ensure they remained well.

People had developed caring relationships with staff, and people told us they treated them with respect. People were appreciative and spoke fondly of staff who provided their care. The provider had developed good working relationships with other health and social care professionals to support the needs of people using the service.

There were systems in place to further monitor and drive improvement through auditing. People were involved in their care and were asked for feedback. This helped to support the development of the service. There was a complaints procedure and any received were investigated and responded to.

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 his practice.

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 25 May 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.