Your Lives UK Limited is a small domiciliary care provider which supports people with learning disabilities in their own homes, in day centre facilities and in the community. The service covers Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. The main office is located in a residential area in West Hull and has a ramp and stairs to the main entrance. There are offices on the ground and first floor of the building. Parking is available on the street at the side of the building.
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.
We undertook this unannounced inspection on the 25 November 2015. On the day of the inspection there were 23 people using the service. Four of the people were in receipt of personal care and 19 people received social support such as assisting them to access community facilities. At the last inspection on 7 August 2013 the registered provider was compliant in all areas we assessed.
We found staff were recruited safely and in sufficient numbers to meet the current needs of people who used the service. The registered manager told us staff were recruited in line with the growth of the service.
We found there were policies and procedures to guide staff in how to keep people safe from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff were able to recognise abuse and what to do if they had concerns. Risk assessments were completed to guide staff in how to minimise the risks of harm posed to people during their activities of daily living. These provided information to staff at the same time as recognising people had levels of independence and may want to take managed risks.
We found people had their needs assessed and plans of care were completed to ensure staff knew how to support them. We saw people had been included in the development of care plans and asked for their views and preferences for how care was to be carried out. In discussions with people who used the service and with relatives, it was clear they received person-centred care.
Staff were knowledgeable about people’s needs and helped to maintain their health by monitoring people for signs they were unwell and following care plan guidance when required.
We found staff supported people to make their own decisions and choices about aspects of their lives. When people lacked capacity, the registered manager and registered provider knew the procedures to follow to ensure they acted within the law.
Staff received training appropriate for their roles. Staff confirmed they had supervision meetings and appraisal to help them develop their skills, knowledge and experience.
We found there were support systems in place for staff and an open-door policy which enabled them to raise concerns.
There was a complaints policy and procedure and people felt able to raise concerns in the belief they would be addressed.
There was a quality monitoring system that consisted of audits, spot checks and surveys. When shortfalls were identified, these were addressed and people were notified of the action that had been taken. We found the surveys could be simplified which may help the limited return rate of surveys and other methods may be required to receive feedback from health care professionals.
The registered manager and registered provider were aware of their responsibilities in notifying the Care Quality Commission of incidents that affected the safety and welfare of people who used the service. There had been two incidents when we had not received notifications. This was discussed with the registered manager and addressed.