We carried out a review of the data available to us about Easy Living Care Limited on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Easy Living Care Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Easy Living Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency. At the time of our inspection, the service provided personal care and support to 68 people who lived in their own homes. 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, medicines management and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. The service covers the main towns of Tiverton, Cullompton and the surrounding villages.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received support from caring, committed and compassionate staff. A strong caring ethos was promoted by the registered manager and company directors, which ensured the staff team kept people at the heart of the service.
People who used the service, and their relatives, described a reliable service. They confirmed visits were not missed and staff arrived when expected. They said the service was safe and they were complimentary about the standard of care provided. Comments included, “Staff are so sweet; we trust them, they know their job. They are very professional but friendly at the same time” and “I am happy with everything. they are all marvellous”.
People were safe and protected from avoidable harm because staff knew how to identify and report any concerns relating to the risk of abuse. Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were assessed, and measures put in place to reduce the risks. People’s medicines were managed safely. People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited.
Staff had received appropriate training and had their competency assessed to help ensure they were sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable.
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 knew people well and ensured their preferred routines were met. People were involved with planning and reviewing their care. Care records were written in a sensitive and person centred way.
A complaints procedure was in place, which people confirmed they were aware of. People’s concerns and complaints were listened to, addressed in a timely manner and resolved quickly.
People said the service was well managed. There were effective systems in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service. Regular feedback about the quality of the service people received had been sought. Where improvements had been identified there were on-going plans for improving people’s experience of the service.
Rating at last inspection - The last rating for this service was Good (published 06 February 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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Easy Living Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency. At the time of our inspection, the service provided personal care and support to about 58 people who lived in their own homes. The service covers the main towns of Tiverton, Cullompton and the surrounding villages. The service provided an overall number of between 800 and 1,000 care hours to people each week. People’s contracted care hours ranged from two to 35 hours a week. Frequency of visits ranged from two to 28 visits a week. The service employed approximately 40 care workers.
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.
People were very complimentary and happy with the service provided. Comments included, “I find that all my carers are very cheerful and helpful when they come. It brightens up my day”; “All very kind and friendly to me … always do what I have asked”, and “I can’t thank you enough and your band of carers for the treatment I receive. I look forward to the visit from them.”
Staff were safely recruited, well trained and received supervision in their job roles. They felt valued, included and felt their opinions mattered. Care workers enjoyed working for the service and comments included, “t’s a lovely company to work for … I can’t fault it here … it’s a nice friendly, family atmosphere ... my opinions are valued” and “I am happy here … we are always busy but we all help each other.” Regular staff meetings took place to update care workers on important issues.
Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and the correct action to take if they had any concerns. The registered manager knew to notify the local authority safeguarding team and the Care Quality Commission about any concerns about suspected abuse.
When people started to use the service, an assessment of their needs was carried out. Each person had an individual care plan which identified risk assessments. Staff were aware of how to reduce unnecessary risks to people. Medicines were given out safely and people were assisted to eat and drink meals of their choices. Care workers monitored people’s health needs and involved health professionals where necessary.
People confirmed staff sought their consent before providing any care and where people lacked capacity, staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) (2005) and how this applied to their practice.
Staff developed positive and meaningful relationships with teams of regular care workers. People were treated with dignity, respect and privacy. Their independence was maintained and encouraged.
People knew how to raise any concerns or complaints and felt confident to do so. Where concerns were raised these were investigated and the appropriate action taken.
The service was open and inclusive and regular feedback was sought. The service was family run and the providers and registered manager carried out care calls when necessary. People and staff were very positive about the leadership of the service and felt communication was good. Further improvements in the management of the service were planned for the near future.
The provider had a range of quality monitoring systems in place which included spot
checks, regular staff meetings and a range of audits. Annual surveys were sent out to gain people’s feedback to improve the service. These were analysed and comments acted upon.