Homecare for you Limited Lancashire

Homecare For You Limited Lancashire is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. Not everyone using Homecare For You Limited Lancashire receives a regulated activity. The care quality commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’ such as help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection, there were 160 people being supported by the agency.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe and staff were caring, reliable and trustworthy. Safeguarding procedures were in place and staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. Safe and appropriate recruitment procedures were followed to make sure only suitable staff were employed. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and had their competency checked.

People received care and support from a consistent team of staff with whom they were familiar. Staff arrived on time and stayed for the full time allocated. People told us they were always treated with kindness, care and respect. Staff had developed good relationships with people and were familiar with their needs, routines and preferences. Staff had sufficient knowledge and skills to meet people's needs effectively. They completed an in depth and structured induction programme when they started work and they were up to date with mandatory training. Staff were supported by the management team and were happy working for the agency.

People were involved in discussions and decisions about the care and support they needed and could influence the delivery of their care. Staff had up to date information about people’s needs and wishes and there were effective systems in place to respond when their needs changed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and their healthcare needs were monitored as appropriate. Staff had good links with other healthcare professionals to ensure people’s healthcare needs were met. People were supported with their dietary needs in accordance with their care plan.

People were aware of the complaints procedure and processes and were confident they would be listened to should they raise any concerns. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service and people’s feedback was sought in relation to the standard of care and support. The quality and safety of the service was monitored and appropriate action was taken to address any shortfalls. People and relatives told us that they were satisfied with the service provided and with the way it was managed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Homecare for you Limited Lancashire is registered to provide personal care and support to children and people living in their own homes. The agency office is located on the main road into Brierfield, Burnley and is close to all local amenities and easily accessible to staff and people using the service. At the time of the inspection 140 people were using the service.

The service was managed by 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.

During this inspection we found the service was meeting the current regulations.

People and their relatives were happy with the service they received from Homecare for you Limited Lancashire. They told us they felt safe using the service. Risks to people’s well-being were being assessed and managed. Staff were aware of the signs and indicators of abuse and they knew what to do if they had any concerns. Staff had an awareness of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and had completed appropriate training.

Satisfactory processes were in place for people to receive safe support with their medicines and safe recruitment checks were completed to ensure staff were safe to support people. There were systems in place to ensure all staff received initial training, ongoing development, supervision and support.

Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and maintained their dignity. People told us the staff were kind and caring. Arrangements were in place to maintain staffing levels to make sure people received their agreed care and support. People told us they received care and support from staff they were familiar with. People told us staff arrived on time, never missed a visit and stayed the agreed amount of time.

Care records and risk assessments were an accurate reflection of the person’s care and support needs and were reviewed regularly to reflect changes to the person’s needs and circumstances. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual needs, backgrounds and personalities and were familiar with the content of people’s care plans. People said they had been involved with their care plans and the ongoing reviews.

Processes were in place to monitor and respond to people’s health care needs. Where appropriate people were supported with eating and drinking.

The complaints procedure provided information on the action to take if a person wished to raise any concerns. People were aware of the complaints procedure and processes and were confident they would be listened to.

There were clear lines of accountability. People, their relatives and staff spoken with felt the agency was well managed. We found there were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service, which included feedback from people using the service.