By Your Side Limited

Updated 27 August 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

This is inspection team consisted of an 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 houses and flats.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission, who was 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

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager or a senior member of staff would be available to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 10 May 2021 and ended on 28 May 2021. We visited the office location on 12 May 2021.

What we did before the inspection

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

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and seven relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with nine members of staff including care workers, a supervisor, an administrator and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three 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 also reviewed.

Updated 27 August 2021

About the service

By Your Side Homecare is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection, 30 people were using the service.

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 benefitted from a service which was extremely well led. People were at the centre of their support and the focus of everything the service did. People's views were valued, responded to, and used to shape the service being provided. The provider's ethos of providing a personalised, caring and compassionate service had been embraced by the whole staff team. Staff were highly motivated, felt valued in their work and were proud to work at the service. Without exception, people and their relatives praised the service they received and said they would recommend the agency to others.

The service had a strong culture of learning and improvement. There were robust quality assurance systems in place. This included a range of audits, seeking the views of people who used the service and monitoring the skills, training and competence of the staff team. Detailed records were kept throughout the service. Where things went wrong there were open discussions with people and their relatives, and lessons learnt.

People were supported by an exceptionally caring staff team and experienced continuity of care. The feedback received from people, and their relatives, demonstrated an inclusive and caring culture was embedded at all levels at the service. People were extremely complimentary about staff and the provider and gave many examples of how the service they received had had a positive impact on their life and improved their wellbeing. The provider matched people to staff who best understood their needs and had similarities in culture, experience and interests. People’s privacy and dignity were promoted throughout their care.

People felt safe with the staff who supported them. Risks to people were assessed and procedures were in place to help keep people safe. The provider's systems protected people from the risk of abuse. All staff were aware of their responsibilities with regards to safeguarding people. Medicines were managed safely and people were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection.

People were supported by staff who were well trained and competent in their role. There was a strong emphasis on staff development and empowerment. Staff complimented the provider with regards to the training and development opportunities afforded to them. Staff benefited from regular supervision, competency assessments and observation in their care visits by a senior member of staff.

People's needs, choices and preferences were explored during an initial assessment to ensure their needs could be met by the service and to make sure the package of care was tailored to their wishes and preferences. Staff recognised the importance of ensuring people's rights were understood and protected.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's health care and nutritional needs were known and understood by staff.

People and their relatives knew how to complain if they needed to and felt confident they would be listened to. The provider was responsive to feedback and this was echoed in the comments we received from people.

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 the service at the previous premises was Good, published on 01 November 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.