Background to this inspection
Updated
19 May 2020
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
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
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 48 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. We visited the registered office on 29 November 2019. We made telephone calls to people receiving a service and their relatives on 3 December 2019.
What we did before the inspection
Due to technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We contacted three people who used the service and six relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two care staff, the care manager, the registered manager and the managing director.
We reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, audits and governance records. We looked at five people's care records and medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to confirm evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.
Updated
19 May 2020
About the service
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. At the time of the inspection 11 people were receiving personal care.
People's experience of using the service and what we found
The service was exceptionally person centred when meeting people's needs. People and their relatives were extremely positive about the service. A person said, “I am delighted and very pleased with all my care”. A relative said, “Quality Life is very well-led and managed and the carers are lovely.”
The service offered a live in care service which was caring. Recruitment of staff was tailored to meet people's individual needs and the selection process was safe and thorough. Accidents and near misses had been analysed so lessons could be learned to help avoid preventable accidents. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse and received safe care and treatment. Medicines were managed in the right way.Infection was prevented and controlled and people had been helped to quickly receive medical attention when necessary.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care 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 were treated with kindness and compassion, their privacy was respected and confidential information was kept private.
People were consulted about their care, had been given information in a user-friendly way and were supported to avoid the risk of social isolation. There were effective arrangements in place to resolve complaints.
Quality checks had been completed and people had been consulted about the development of the service. Good team work was encouraged and joint working was promoted.
For more details, please read the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
At the last comprehensive inspection the rating for this service was Good (report published 27 April 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 reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.