YourChoice Devon Ltd

Updated 12 June 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was conducted by one 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:

YourChoice Devon Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the South Devon area. At the time of our inspection 20 people were receiving ‘personal care.’

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. The manager is also the provider. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

This announced comprehensive inspection took place on 15 and 16 May 2019. The provider was given short notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

What we did:

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed the information we held about the service and any notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

We visited the office location on 15 May 2019 to see the registered manager and to review care records, policies and procedures. On the second day we visited four people in their homes and also met one relative. Our expert by experience spoke with seven people on the telephone. During the inspection we met one care worker. After the inspection we received e-mails from eight members of staff.

We reviewed three people’s care files, three staff files, staff training records and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 12 June 2019

About the service:

YourChoice Devon Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the South Devon area. At the time of our inspection 20 people were receiving personal care. This is the first inspection of the agency since they were registered in 2018.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service provided safe and effective care to people. People told us they were confident that they were in safe hands. One person said “I always feel safe with my carers. Absolutely.” Care had been taken when recruiting staff to make sure applicants were entirely suitable. New staff received training and supervision to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs safely.

People were confident care staff always arrived on time, stayed for the right length of time, and never missed a visit. People received care from a small team of care staff they knew and trusted. One person said, “They always phone me when a new carer is coming.” People told us the care staff were always kind and respectful.

People’s needs were assessed before the service began and care plans were drawn up. Any risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and staff knew the actions they needed to take to keep people safe. Where people needed assistance from staff to help them manage their medicines, staff were well-trained and followed safe procedures.

Care plans and daily records were kept up to date and gave staff good information on people’s health and personal care support needs. A person said, “The owner visits and reviews my plan. He’s on the ball.” Where people needed assistance to prepare meals, care staff knew their likes and dislikes and dietary preferences.

Care staff were overwhelmingly positive about the management of the service and told us they were well supported. Comments included, “YourChoice Devon is a great company to work for” and “I couldn't be happier to be part of the company which really do put everything into meeting our client’s needs and wants. I've never felt so appreciated or happy in a work environment.” Staff received good training and were confident the service was well managed.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the service and make sure all areas were working smoothly. People were confident they could raise any concerns or complaints with the provider and these would be addressed promptly. Comments from people we spoke with included, “I can’t find any faults.”

Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered on 22 June 2018

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

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