- Homecare service
Helping Hands Cramlington
Report from 14 October 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 24 October to 14 November 2024. The service is a care at home service providing personal care and nursing support to older people, younger adults living with dementia, people with nursing care needs, mental health conditions or physical disabilities. At the time of inspection there were 11 people receiving the regulated activity. 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. This was the first rated inspection of the service. Staff spoke positively about working at the service and the people they cared for. People received effective care that met their needs. They were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. There were sufficient trained staff who worked well with other professionals to ensure people's needs were met. Most people and relatives told us they received timely and consistent care from staff they knew, however some improvements were needed to roster management and communication to ensure all people received timely and consistent care from staff they knew. People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the service and management. Detailed records provided guidance to ensure people received safe, person-centred care. Risks to people had been assessed and care plans were in place to help mitigate risks as far as possible. Medicines were managed safely. People had choice in their care. Staff made sure people understood and were involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Accidents and incidents were investigated, action taken, and lessons learned. There was an effective quality assurance system to assess the quality of care in the service.
People's experience of this service
People and relatives were complimentary about the care provided by staff. They said staff were kind, caring and supportive of people and their families. Their comments included, “Staff are very kind, mostly it is the way that they talk to [Name]. they take the time to chat to them”, “The girls are lovely, they always ask if anything else needs doing”, and “Staff are certainly, more patient than me. There was 1 girl on her hands and knees trying to encourage [Name], she was excellent.” Some people and relatives told us they did not always receive consistent care from staff they knew, and they were not informed if calls were late. Some comments included, “We have 3 regular carers and a few ad hoc that fill in”, and “[Name] mainly worries about the time. They will ask the previous carer what time the next carer will be there.” However, some people were not informed if a call was going to be late or where there were changes to carers. A relative commented, “They send a lot of different staff, [Name] knows them all, but they would prefer to see less people and more consistency. There could be a new staff member every day.” People and their relatives told us they were listened to. People received their medicines in a safe way. A relative commented, “I don’t need to check [Name]’s medicines any longer as staff are doing everything very well.” People were supported to make choices and were involved in decision making about their care and support and were asked for feedback regularly.