Assisted Lives

Updated 19 December 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. 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 team consisted of 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

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

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

This inspection was announced.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams. 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, their personal assistant and two care co-ordinators. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures..

We also spoke on the telephone with eight staff, four people who used the service and three relatives. We also received feedback from two health care professionals.

After the inspection

We requested further information from the registered manager to validate the evidence found. This was received, and the information was used as part of our inspection.

Updated 19 December 2019

About the service

Assisted Lives is a domiciliary care agency located near to Bradford city centre providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to 62 people.

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

People were safe. Staff were recruited safely, and people generally received their care and support from a consistent staff team. Assessments of risk to people’s health and safety were completed. We have made a recommendation regarding the management of medicines.

Staff received induction, training and supervision. Where needed, people received support to eat and drink. There were effective systems of communication in place and the service worked alongside other healthcare professionals where required. 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 and kind. Staff respected people’s right to privacy and took steps to maintain people’s dignity. People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Care records provided enough information for staff to provide people’s care and support and included information about their communication needs. Staff made an electronic record of the care they had provided. There was a system in place to manage complaints.

The service was well led. The registered manager and staff were clear about their roles and there was a system of audit and governance in place. Feedback from people, relatives and staff was obtained and action taken where shortfalls were identified. The registered provider demonstrated a clear desire to ensure the quality of the service continued to improve.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 28 April 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.