Community Life Choices Head Office

Updated 29 May 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by two inspectors and two Experts 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.

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

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

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 20 April 2021 and ended 28 April 2021. We visited the office location on 20 and 21 April 2021. Experts by Experience made telephone calls on 23 April 2021 to speak with people who used the service and to some relatives of people who used the service.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the service had been registered with us. We sought feedback from the local authorities and professionals who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and eight relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager and care manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included eight people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 12 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and improved care record templates.

Updated 29 May 2021

About the service

Community Life Choices Head Office provides home care services enabling people to be cared for while living their own homes. The service is managed from the registered office in Preston and services are provided to people living in parts of Lancashire and Derbyshire. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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

Staff supported people to take their medicines as they had been prescribed. However, some records were not always clear, and inspectors had to seek clarification of the records to be sure people had received their medicines correctly. There were no written protocols for staff to follow to ensure the use of ‘as and when required’ (PRN) medicines were used safely and effectively.

We have made a recommendation about the recording and guidance for medicine administration.

People's needs had been assessed and people received the level of support they required. However, we noted that some specific risks, for example the use of additional equipment such as wheelchairs were not always recorded.

We have made a recommendation about ensuring records for assessing risks are completed for all equipment that might be used by staff.

There were enough staff available to support people. However, people we spoke with told us they had differing experiences in the different counties with the consistency of their visit times. Systems were in place to protect people from abuse and harm. Lessons were learned from any incidents to maintain and improve the safety of the service. We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We were assured the infection prevention and control practises were satisfactory.

Staff were trained and their competencies had been checked to ensure they could provide appropriate care. The staff supported people as they needed when preparing their meals and drinks. The staff identified if people required medical assistance and supported them to access appropriate healthcare services. People made decisions about their care and their rights were protected. 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.

People told us the staff treated them with respect and were kind and caring towards them. People were regularly asked for their views about their care and service they received. People’s care plans were written in a person-centred way that took account of their preferences. The registered provider had an effective procedure for receiving and managing complaints about the service. People had received the support they needed at the end of their lives and families were very complimentary about the support that had been given.

There were systems in place to assess the quality and safety of the service. People were asked for their views about the support they received. The registered manager and staff team worked closely with other agencies and healthcare professionals to make sure people received good care. The provider and registered manager understood their responsibilities under the duty of candour. Staff told us they felt supported by the management team.

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

This service was registered with us on 25 March 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about infection prevention and control, lack of staff skills, care delivery, management of the service and quality of care records. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the five sections of this full report.

Follow up

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