Helping Hands Brentwood

Ratings

• Overall

  Good

• Safe

  Good

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Good

Our view of the service

Date of Assessment: 6 to 11 December 2024. This service is a care at home agency providing support to adults of all ages. CQC only inspects where people are receiving the regulated activity of personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we consider any wider social care provided. At the time of this assessment, 33 people were receiving personal care support. The provider had a good learning culture and managers investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks. There were enough staff available with the right skills and experience. However, the provider’s recruitment processes were not always completed robustly. Managers made sure staff received regular training and support. Staff managed medicines well and involved people in planning any changes. People were involved in assessments of their needs. However, further development was required to ensure these assessments were sufficiently detailed and personalised. Staff monitored people’s health to support healthier living and worked in partnership with other agencies involved in people’s care. Staff made sure people understood their care to enable them to give informed consent. People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. The provider supported staff wellbeing. People were involved in decisions about their care. People knew how to give feedback and raise concerns. People received fair and equal care and support. Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Staff were able to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. There was a culture of continuous learning and improvement to ensure people received good quality care.

People's experience of this service

People and those important to them spoke positively about the quality of care provided. People told us they felt safe and they described staff as kind, caring and respectful. People told us staff arrived on time and their care was not rushed. Comments included, “I look upon them as one of my family. They are that good. I have nothing to fault them with at all”, “I never feel rushed, they take their time” and “The carers I have now, they are all good. They come in and have a chat while they work. It makes such a difference to my day. They are quite helpful too.” People and those important to them felt able to raise concerns with the service and were confident action would be taken. They told us the registered manager was approachable and responsive to feedback. Comments included, “I have only had to leave a message once or twice, I mostly get through straightaway, there’s usually somebody there and they get back promptly if I leave a message”, “They are always at the end of the phone and respond promptly” and “I am more than happy with what’s going on. I feel the level of communication is good.”