Like Care Limited

Updated 18 April 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by 1 inspector and an Expert by Experience.

An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service less than 24 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 8 March 2023 and ended on 15 March 2023. We visited the location's office on 8 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since their registration. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 1 person who used the service and 7 relatives. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, nominated individual, care coordinator and 3 care assistants. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed 5 people's care records, 3 staff files and multiple medicine records. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

Updated 18 April 2023

About the service

Like Care Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to 12 people at the time of inspection. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The registered manager and provider did not always ensure risks to people’s health and safety were documented and care plans were comprehensively completed. This included for people nearing the end of their lives. We have made a recommendation to the provider to refer to guidance and update their practice. However, the management team and staff knew people well and how to support their needs and monitor risks. People and relatives felt confident in the management of the service and felt included in planning and organising care. Staff felt supported by the management team and were confident in sharing their views. The management team worked effectively alongside other health and social care professionals.

People felt safe and were protected against the risk of abuse. Staff knew what to do if they had concerns for people’s safety and had confidence in the management team to act on any concerns they had. Where staff administered medicines, this was done safely. Staff understood risks relating to infection prevention and control and wore the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE). The provider had systems in place to learn from incidents to prevent reoccurrence.

People were supported by staff who had received appropriate training and their practice was monitored and evaluated by the management team. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain their health. The registered manager worked alongside external health professionals to ensure people’s needs were met in a timely way.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were caring towards the people they supported and provided care in line with people’s preferences. People were encouraged and supported to make decisions relating to their care and where required, people’s representatives were included. Staff understood how to provide dignified care and respected people’s privacy.

People and relatives were supported to make and maintain meaningful relationships and engage in activities important to them. Staff recognised when people may be isolated and ensured they provided quality time by talking to people and getting to know them better. People were supported in meeting their communications needs to ensure they remained involved and informed about their care. People and relatives knew how to make complaints to the service if needed and these were acted upon by the management team.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 08 February 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and due to concerns received about the care and treatment of a person supported by the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the well-led section of this full report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.