Helping Hands Wirral

Not everyone using Helping Hands Wirral receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. There were 28 people receiving personal care at the time of the inspection.

People's needs were comprehensively assessed before starting with the service. People and their relatives were involved in the care planning process. Staff had established supportive relationships with people and knew them well and people received person-centred care. Staff supported people to access healthcare professionals when required and supported people to manage their medicines safely.

People were supported to have utmost choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.

People told us that the care staff were very caring, kind and their approach was always very positive. One person said, "I am so happy with the care they provide" and a relative told us that, "Carers respect his [relative] dignity."

Staffing levels were monitored and we received positive feedback about the timekeeping of staff and call duration times. The registered manager discussed about having the appropriate staffing and on-going recruitment process in place.

Staff were familiar with accident, incident and safeguarding reporting procedures. The provider ensured that all such incidents were investigated and follow up actions / lessons learnt were acknowledged.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) and COVID-19 procedures were in place. Staff received IPC training, were provided with the personal protective equipment (PPE) and were engaged in weekly COVID-19 testing regimes.

Safe medication administration procedures were in place. Staff were required to complete medication training and had regularly competencies monitored. The provider maintained effective oversight in relation

to medicine management.

Pre-employment recruitment checks were conducted; people received care and support by staff who had been safely recruited. Staff stated they were supported by the management team and received regular supervision and supported with learning and development opportunities

People and staff told us they thought the registered manager was doing a good job. They told us they were approachable, responsive and keen to make improvements. The registered manager showed us they were focused on continuity of staff and continually improving the service for the benefit of the people who used Helping Hands Wirral.

The service had an open and supportive culture. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of care delivered. There was evidence of improvement and learning from any actions identified.

The provider and registered manager followed governance systems which provided effective oversight and monitoring of the service. These governance systems and processes were robust and identified areas of the service where improvements were needed.