Lillyfields Care, Petersfield

Updated 24 March 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by 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. 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 the service short notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider who is also the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. Inspection activity started on 7 March 2022 and ended on 11 March 2022. We visited the office location on7 March 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We 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

At the site visit we spoke with the registered manager who was also the provider, the care support manager for the location, the care co-ordinator, the business development manager, the area manager and the human resources manager.

We reviewed a range of records. These included three people's care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision.

After the inspection

We spoke with seven people and two relatives about their experiences of the care provided. We spoke with four care staff and received feedback on the service from a further two care staff. We received written feedback on the service from a professional involved with the service.

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 24 March 2022

About the service

Lillyfields Care is a domiciliary care service, it was providing personal care to 16 people at the time of the inspection. The service provides care to younger and older adults who may have a physical disability, sensory impairment, mental health diagnosis or be living with dementia.

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 spoke of the positive attitude of staff towards them, of their dedication to their work and how much they felt valued by staff. They were enthusiastic about the personality of staff who supported them, and told us staff really cared about them and wanted to do a good job. They told us, “I would describe the carers as intelligent, kind people who are good at caring.” People were very happy with the organisation, its management team and their office staff.

The provider had systems, practices and processes in place which were understood and used by staff to keep people safe from either harm or abuse. The provider operated safe recruitment processes and ensured there were sufficient staff to keep people safe and to meet their needs. People received their medicines safely and the provider was in the process of introducing a new electronic medicines records system. People were protected from the risk of infection. Processes were in place to encourage the reporting of any incidents which were then investigated and any identified learning was applied.

People’s needs and choices were assessed and the delivery of their care reflected best practice and human rights principles. The provider ensured staff had the right skills and knowledge to enable them to deliver people’s care effectively. Staff supported people to ensure they had enough to eat and drink across the course of the day. Staff worked both together and across services to ensure people’s healthcare needs were met.

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 spoke of the positive attitude of staff towards them and how they felt valued by staff. People were supported to express their views about their care and to be involved in decision making. Staff respected and promoted people’s rights to privacy and dignity.

People received personalised care which was responsive to their needs. Staff supported people to access the community and activities where this care was commissioned. Staff had the required skills to support people at the end of their lives.

The provider who was also the registered manager, promoted a positive culture which was person centred and focused on achieving good outcomes for people. The governance framework ensured staff’s responsibilities were clear and risks and requirements were understood and met. Processes were in place to seek the views of people and staff about the service and to drive improvements. The service worked with external stakeholders to support the provision of people's care.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 19 August 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.