Archived: Your Life Your Support

Updated 7 February 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 06 and 09 January 2017. The provider was given short notice because we needed to make sure the registered manager would be available at the office to assist with the inspection. This inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Prior to the inspection we looked at information the service had sent to us including notifications. We also received a provider information return (PIR) from the provider. This form asks the provider to give us some key information about what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.

On the 06 January 2017 we spent time at the office and looked at six care records, four staff files, policies and procedures, staff training, staff supervisions, audits and checks and other relevant records. We spoke with the registered manager, other members of the management team and office staff.

Following the inspection visit we contacted four professionals, two people who used the service and four relatives to obtain their views and opinions of the care and services they received. We also spoke with four support staff.

Updated 7 February 2017

This announced inspection took place over two days. On the 06 January 2017 we visited the office and spent time talking to the management team and looking at records. On 09 January 2017 we contacted support staff, professionals who are involved with the service and people who used the service. We did this to seek their views and opinions on the service and the care provided.

The service had not yet been inspected at these premises. Your Life Your Support is a small domiciliary care agency and at the time of the inspection there were 57 people receiving support, 25 of whom were in receipt of support with personal care. It is registered to provide a service to people with learning and/or physical disabilities to enable them to remain in their own homes, as well as access community resources.

At the time of the inspection there was a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Risk assessments were in place and methods used to minimise risks to individuals were incorporated within support plans.

There was an appropriate safeguarding policy in place and staff were aware of the procedure for recording and reporting any issues. Accidents and incidents protocols were followed by staff and responded to and documented as required.

The recruitment procedure was robust and the induction programme and initial training was thorough. A significant amount of training was continually offered to staff throughout their employment. Medication training had been undertaken by all staff and was supported by a thorough and comprehensive medicines policy and procedure.

Staff supervisions took place on a regular basis and staff were also supported by informal chats and weekly catch ups.

Support plans included a range of health and personal information and were person-centred. We saw that communication with other health and social care agencies was effective. People’s backgrounds, interests, likes and dislikes were documented. The service was flexible and responsive to people’s changing needs and health issues.

The service was working within the legal requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) and we saw evidence of decision making in individuals’ best interests.

People we spoke with were very happy with the service and the individual workers who supported them. We saw that people were fully involved with all aspects of care planning and reviews of support.

The service used various methods of communication with people who used the service. We saw that people were encouraged and supported to be as independent as possible.

There was an appropriate complaints policy in place, but there had been no recent complaints. The service had received a number of compliments.

The management team helped ensure continual development, improvement and high standards of service delivery. People who used the service, their relatives and staff members all felt the management team were approachable and accessible.

A number of audits and checks were carried out to help ensure the quality of the service.