22 August 2017
During a routine inspection
Tender Loving Care (TLC) Limited is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care and support to people with a variety of needs including older people, people living with dementia, younger adults and people with a physical disability. The agency’s office is located in Haslingden in East Lancashire. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support to 13 people. This was our first inspection of this service.
At the time of the inspection there was a registered manager at the service who had been registered with the Commission since February 2016. 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.
The people we spoke with told us they received safe care. Staff had a good understanding of how to safeguard vulnerable adults from abuse and were aware of the appropriate action to take if they suspected abuse was taking place or if people were at risk of abuse.
We found that staff had been recruited safely and had received an appropriate induction. Staff received regular supervision and their practice was observed regularly to ensure that they were providing safe care. Staff told us they felt well supported by the registered manager.
We found that people’s medicines were managed safely and people told us they received their medicines when they should. Staff competence to administer medicines safely had been assessed regularly.
People were supported appropriately with their healthcare needs and were referred to healthcare professionals when appropriate. We received positive feedback about the service from a community healthcare professional.
People told us they were happy with the care and support they received from the service. They told us that their care needs had been discussed with them and they were involved in decisions about their care.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way; the policies and systems at the service supported this practice.
Where people lacked the capacity to make decisions about their care, their relatives had been consulted.
Most people told us that staff arrived on time and stayed for the full duration of the visit. They told us they were supported by regular carers who were familiar with their needs and preferences.
People told us the staff who supported them were caring. They told us staff respected their right to privacy and dignity and did not rush them. People told us staff encouraged them to be independent.
People told us they were regularly asked to give feedback about the service during the registered manager’s observations of staff practice. We noted that most people had reported a high level of satisfaction with the service.
Most people we spoke with told us they were happy with the way the service was being managed. They found the staff and registered manager approachable and knew who to contact if they had any concerns.
We saw evidence that regular audits were completed by the registered manager. These checks were effective in ensuring that appropriate levels of care and safety were being maintained.