Live Life Well Limited

Updated 22 January 2019

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 20 and 21 December 2018 and was announced on each day.

This inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Prior to the inspection the provider had completed a provider information return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make. We used this information as part of our inspection planning and throughout the inspection process.

The Care Quality Commission invited people and staff to complete questionnaires prior to the inspection. We asked people and staff about their experiences using and working for the registered provider. Some of the outcomes are included within the report.

We checked the information we held about the service and the service provider. This included statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During our inspection two people and their relatives agreed to meet with us at their homes. We spoke with two support workers and the registered manager. We spoke with two people’s relatives by telephone.

We spent time looking at records, including three care plan and risk assessment files, three staff recruitment and training files, medication administration records (MARs), daily records, complaints and other records that related to the management of the service.

Updated 22 January 2019

This inspection was undertaken on 20 and 21 December 2018 and was announced on both days.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection the service remained good.

Red Hill House is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care and daily support for people who live in their own homes within the local community. The agency is based in Saltney near Chester and is close to public transport routes. At the time of this inspection the service was supporting 12 people with their care and support needs.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

Staff recruitment systems continue to be robust and this ensured that only staff suitable to work with vulnerable people were employed. All staff had completed an induction training and undertaken shadow shifts at the start of their employment. Staff at all undertaken training relevant to their role and completed refresher updates as required. There were enough staff employed to meet the needs of the people supported. Staff received support and service updates through formal and informal meetings and bulletins.

People's needs were assessed prior to them receiving support from the service. Information from the assessment was used to create individual care plans and risk assessments to meet people's needs. These documents included clear guidance for staff to follow to ensure people's individual needs were met. People's needs that related to age, disability, religion or other protected characteristics were considered throughout the assessment and care planning process.

People told us they receive support from regular staff that knew them well. They described all staff as kind and caring. People told us their dignity was respected and their independence was promoted where possible.

The registered provider had an effective medicines management system in place and staff followed best practice guidelines. Staff had all completed medicines training and had their competency regularly assessed. People told us they received their medicines correctly and on time.

The registered provider had a safeguarding policy and procedure in place that staff fully understood. Staff had all completed adults and children's safeguarding training and felt confident to raise any concerns they had.

People told us that staff supported them with their food and drink needs. They described being offered a choice at all times. Care plans included clear guidance for staff to follow to meet these needs.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and report on what we find. We saw that the registered provider had guidance available for staff in relation to the MCA. Staff had undertaken training in the MCA. People who normally live in their own homes can only be deprived of their liberty through a Court of Protection order (CoP). There were not any people on a CoP order at the time of our inspection.

People and their relatives told us they felt confident to raise any concerns they had. The registered provider had a complaint policy and procedure in place that people knew how to access.

The registered provider had quality monitoring systems in place that highlighted areas for development and improvement at the service. Audits were regularly undertaken and actions were promptly taken to address any areas identified for improvement. Feedback was gained informally through telephone conversations and visits to people's homes.

Policies and procedures were available at the service and these were regularly reviewed and updated. These gave staff clear guidance on all areas of their work role and employment.

The registered provider had displayed their ratings from the previous inspection in line with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.