Helping Hands Preston received a focused Good rating across Safe and Well-Led following concerns about medicines management and staff training, with the provider taking immediate corrective action during the inspection. Minor gaps in medicine recording detail and care plan documentation were identified but no regulatory breaches were found.
Concerns (5)
moderateMedication management: “staff were not always documenting how many of each tablet were given and the times they were given was not always clear.”
moderateRecord keeping: “written guidance on how to keep people safe was not always robust, we found examples where information to lessen the risks to people was missing.”
minor
Care planning
: “registered manager had identified that care plans required updating in a recent audit and actions were ongoing to improve the records.”
minorGovernance: “Information in action plans needed to be more robust to demonstrate the action which had been taken.”
minorStaff training: “Staff told us they would not hesitate to raise concerns... staff who expressed concerns around the use of online training.”
Strengths
· Positive feedback about the registered manager; staff described them as approachable, structured, and confidence-inspiring.
· Provider responded immediately during the inspection to address medicine administration recording issues.
· Safe recruitment practices in place including DBS checks and previous employer references.
· Effective safeguarding oversight with staff trained and aware of reporting responsibilities.
· Open and transparent culture around accidents, incidents and near misses with lessons shared across the staff team.
Quality-Statement breakdown (11)
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
well-led: Promoting a positive, person-centred, open and inclusive cultureGood
well-led: Duty of candourGood
well-led: Managers and staff clear on roles, quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsGood
well-led: Engaging and involving people, public and staffGood
well-led: Continuous learning, improving care and working in partnershipGood