Helping Hands Swadlincote

Updated 6 June 2023

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 1 inspector and 1 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 provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since its registration. 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 visited the location's office where we met with the registered manager and care coordinators of the service. We spoke with 6 people who used the service and 2 family members about their experience of care provided by the agency. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, care coordinators and care staff. We reviewed a range of records; this included 3 care records and medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 6 June 2023

About the service

Helping Hands Swadlincote is a care at home service providing the regulated activity of personal care to 41 people at the time of this inspection. The service provides support to older and younger adults with a range of needs. 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.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

At the time of the inspection, the location did not care or support for anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support: People were involved in the assessment and planning of their care in their own homes. People had choice in how they received their care to meet their needs and preferences. People knew how to raise any concerns they might have and to who. Staff had been safely recruited to support people.

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.

Right Care: People received care from staff who understood their preferences and promoted their independence. Staff supported people to access services to maintain their health and well-being. Staff valued making a difference to people’s everyday lives. People received their care at the times they chose.

Right Culture: People were complimentary about the care they received. Staff were trained and assessed to be confident and competent. The registered manager and staff were committed to delivering a high standard of care to people.

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 10 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.

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.