Helping at Home

This was our first assessment of Helping at Home. This assessment took place at there new registered address. The provider had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents thoroughly. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Managers made sure staff received training and regular supervision to maintain high-quality care. Staff managed medicines well.

People and those important to them were involved in the assessment of their needs. Staff carried out assessments considering people’s communication and spiritual needs, their preferences and health needs.

Staff worked with all agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions for example, if a person was admitted to hospital. They monitored people’s health to support healthy living. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and involved those important to people regarding decisions made in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity, they treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and staff responded to people in a timely way. The provider supported staff wellbeing. People were involved in decisions about their care. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the provider took it seriously and acted on it. People received fair and equal care and treatment.

Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. People with protected characteristics felt supported. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. The manager was open to new ideas and there was a culture of learning and continuous improvement. At the time of our assessment, the manager of the service was in the process of becoming the registered manager.

An assessment has been undertaken of a service that is used by autistic people or people with a learning disability but is not registered as a specialist service. We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgments about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.