We carried out a review of the data available to us about TLC Home Care Solutions Ltd 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 TLC Home Care Solutions Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
TLC Home Care Solutions Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service was supporting 43 people at the time of this inspection.
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 told us they felt safe with the support they received from staff. They were protected from the risk of abuse because staff knew the types of abuse that could occur and the action to take if they suspected abuse. The provider followed safe recruitment practices. They employed enough staff to meet people’s needs.
Risks to people had been assessed and staff followed the guidance in people’s care plans to manage identified risks safely. The registered manager maintained a log of any incidents and accidents which occurred which they reviewed regularly for any potential learning. Staff received training in infection control and knew the steps to take to reduce the risk of infection whilst supporting people. People’s medicines were safely managed.
People had access to a range of healthcare services when needed. The provider worked with other organisations to help ensure people received effective, high quality care. 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 received an induction when they started working for the agency and were supported in their roles through regular training and supervision.
People told us the staff that supported them were caring and considerate. Staff treated people with dignity and respected their privacy. People’s needs were assessed before they stated using the service. They were involved in the planning of their care and were supported to make day to day decisions about the support they received. People’s care plans reflected their individual needs and preferences. They included information about people’s end of life care preferences, where they had been happy to discuss this. Staff promoted people’s independence when supporting them.
The provider had a complaints procedure in place and people expressed confidence that any issues would be addressed appropriately if they had concerns. Staff spoke positively about the working culture at the service. They told us they worked well as a team and received good support from the registered manager.
The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of legal requirements and the responsibilities of their role. The provider carried out a range of checks and audits to help identify any potential service issues to help drive improvements. People’s views of the service were sought on a regular basis through home visits and an annual survey. Survey feedback showed the people experienced positive outcomes from the service they received. This was reflective of the feedback we received from the people and relatives we spoke with.
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 22 February 2017). Since this rating was awarded the service has moved premises. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.
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.
TLC Homecare Solutions Ltd provides domiciliary care and support for approximately 20 people, some of whom receive support with personal care.
There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.
At this inspection we found that people’s medicines were managed safely, although improvement was required to ensure the support people received with their medicines was clearly and accurately recorded. There were sufficient staff deployed by the service to safely meet people’s needs and the provider undertook employment checks prior to new staff starting work to ensure they were of good character and suitable for the roles they were applying for.
Risks to people had been assessed and action taken by staff to manage identified risks, although improvement was required to ensure risk assessments comprehensively covered all potential areas of risk to people. The provider had already identified the scope of risk assessments as an area for improvement and was in the process of rolling out updated documentation at the time of our inspection.
People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff were aware of the signs to look for and the action to take if they suspected abuse had occurred. Staff received training and supervision in support of their roles and people told us they considered staff to be competent and well trained. Staff were aware of the importance of seeking consent from the people they supported and told us people had capacity to make decisions about the care and support they received for themselves.
People were supported to access healthcare services by staff if required and staff supported people to maintain a balanced diet where such support was included as part of their care plan. People and relatives told us that staff were kind and considerate, and that their privacy and dignity were respected. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of the people they supported and involved them in day to day decisions about their care.
People were aware of how to make a complaint but told us they had not needed to do so. They had care plans in place which had been discussed with them and were reviewed on a regular basis. Staff provided people with care which reflected their individual needs and processes. Staff and people spoke positively about the management of the service and the registered manager. The provider had systems in place to seek feedback from people, and to monitor the quality and safety of the service.