About the service: Helping Hands Cambridge is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of the inspection it was providing care to 17 people. People’s experience of using this service:
• People were supported to be safe in their home and there were enough staff employed to fulfil people’s arranged care visits.
• People received the medicines they were prescribed.
• Staff understood their responsibilities about keeping people safe.
• Risks to people’s health were assessed and clearly documented in the care plan.
• Incidents and accidents were monitored to inform practice and make improvements to the service.
• Staff understood their responsibilities to prevent the spread of infection whilst working between people's homes.
• Staff had received the training and support they needed to carry out their roles well. People had confidence in the staff and were content with the care they received.
• People were supported to access health care services when they needed to. Staff described positive working relationships with health care professionals.
• 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 procedures in the service supported this practice.
• Staff supported people to remain independent and promoted their dignity. People's privacy was respected and their personal information was kept securely.
• The service had a complaints policy of which people were aware.
• There was a clear management structure that supported staff well.
• Governance arrangements were in practice. Regular audits identified any shortfalls in provision of care.
Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection of the service which was registered with the Care Quality Commission on 18 December 2017.
Why we inspected: Our methodology is to plan to inspect services within the first year of being registered
Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk