Helping Hands Bolton

Updated 1 October 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We reviewed six people’s care plans and associated records. We spoke with the registered managers of the live-in service and daily visiting service, the live-in care director, the staff trainer, three care staff, three people, and seven relatives of people using the service. We received additional written feedback from five other care staff. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures and staff recruitment records were reviewed.

Updated 1 October 2022

About the service

Helping Hands Bolton 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 123 people who used the live-in service and nine people who used the daily visiting service.

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

Systems in place helped safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Assessments of risk and safety and supporting measures in place helped minimise risks. Staff managed people’s medicines safely. Staff followed infection prevention and control guidance to minimise risks related to the spread of infection.

Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs and managers recruited staff safely. Staff followed an induction programme, and training was on-going throughout employment.

Staff thoroughly assessed people’s needs prior to a service starting. Care plans included information about support required in areas such as nutrition, mobility and personal care to help inform care provision. Staff made appropriate referrals to other agencies and professionals when required.

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 told us they were well treated and their equality and diversity respected. People felt staff respected their privacy and dignity and took into account their views when agreeing on the support required. Staff identified people’s communication needs and addressed these with appropriate actions.

Managers responded to complaints appropriately and used these to inform improvement to care provision. The provider was open and honest, in dealing with concerns raised. The management team were available for people to contact and undertook regular quality checks, to help ensure continued good standards of care.

The provider and registered manager followed governance systems which provided effective oversight and monitoring of the service. These governance systems and processes ensured the service provided to people was safe.

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 09 February 2021).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.