This announced inspection took place on 13 April 2018. It is the first inspection since the service registered with the Care Quality Commission in May 2017.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults. At the time of the inspection there were 47 people using the service.

Not everyone using Caring Hands East London receives 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.

At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager in place as required by law. There was a deputy manager who was about to start the process to register. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We made recommendations about medicines and quality assurance. This was because quality assurance and monitoring systems were not operated effectively. We found improvements were required to the way in which medicines were recorded. We also made another recommendation about following safeguarding reporting guidelines in all safeguarding cases. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

People told us they were supported by staff they trusted. They told us they felt safe. There were appropriate risk assessments in place to ensure steps were taken to minimise impact of the identified risks.

People were protected from the risks of infection because appropriate guidance was followed. The provider ensured staff were able to use equipment safely when delivering care.

People thought there was enough staff to support them. We saw effective recruitment systems in place. Staff were supported by means of a comprehensive induction and regular training and supervision. They were aware of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to apply it in practice.

People were treated with dignity and respect by polite and caring staff. Their individual, religious and cultural wishes were respected. They were supported to access health care services where required and encouraged to maintain a balanced diet.

There was an effective complaints system in place which was known by people and staff. People told us they were able to raise concerns freely without any fear or reservations.

Care records were individual and reflected people’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. These were reviewed regularly in consultation with people and their relatives.

People and their relatives thought the service was well managed. There were some systems in place to monitor the quality of care delivered.