Archived: My Life Living Assistance (Lewes)

Updated 29 July 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place between the 19 and 22 June 2017. This was an announced inspection. 48 hours’ notice of the inspection was given to ensure that the people we needed to speak to were available. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector and an expert by experience who made telephone calls to people and their relatives. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

During the inspection process we spoke with ten people who used the service and five relatives. We asked what it was like to receive care and support from My Life Living Assistance (Lewes). We reviewed ten people’s care documentation and associated records. We spoke with seven care staff, a care coordinator, a quality officer, the registered manager, two of the provider’s regional directors and the managing director. We also spoke with a staff member who had responsibility for recruitment.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. These included the care records for nine people, medicine administration record (MAR) sheets, four staff training, support and employment records, quality assurance audits, accident and incident reports, complaints and records relating to the management of the service.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the agency, including previous inspection reports. We reviewed the provider’s information return (PIR) and responses from questionnaires sent by us to people, their relatives and staff. We considered the information which had been shared with us by the local authority and agencies, looked at safeguarding alerts which had been made and notifications which had been submitted. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

Updated 29 July 2017

This inspection took place between 19 and 22 June 2017. We visited the office of My Life Living Assistance (Lewes) on the 20 and 21 June 2017. We told the provider we were coming on the two days we visited the office, this was due to it being a domiciliary care agency and we needed to ensure someone was available. The inspection involved a visit to the agency’s office and telephone conversations with people, their relatives and staff, between the beginning and end dates.

My Life Living Assistance (Lewes) is a domiciliary care company based in Lewes. They provide support and care for predominately older people living in their own homes. Some people were at risk of falls and had long term healthcare needs. My Life Living Assistance (Lewes) provide their services within an approximate 10 mile radius from their office in Lewes. At the time of our inspection 100 people were using the service. There was a registered manager in post, a registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

Although people and their relatives spoke positively about the service and its leadership we found shortfalls related to some records and an aspect of quality assurance. We found examples where people’s care documentation was incomplete and lacked sufficient detail to ensure staff had clear guidance on how to support people in their own homes. Most of the provider’s quality assurance had been effective at providing oversight and driving improvement however the systems used for the audit of people’s care plans was not robust and had not identified the shortfalls we found. The registered manager was responsive to our feedback and took corrective steps to begin addressing these areas during our inspection.

However, we found other quality assurance systems had been used to improve the service and were designed to ensure people received safe, good quality care. Areas routinely checked included medicines and daily care documentation. Additional quality assurance systems had been established and completed by a regional quality assurance manager.

People told us they felt safe using the services of My Life Living Assistance (Lewes). Positive comments from people included, “I continue to be pleased with the care and how the staff help me.” Staff had a good understanding of how to safeguard people from different types of abuse and how to raise and escalate any concerns they had for people’s wellbeing and safety. Where people had been involved in an incident or accident steps had been taken to investigate, follow up and to reduce the risk of them being repeated.

Medicines were managed safely and in accordance with current regulations and guidance. Medicines records were audited and reviewed to check for errors or omissions. Staff knowledge and competency was routinely checked upon to ensure they were confident to support people with their medicines.

The risks and support needs associated with caring for people in their own homes had been assessed and were reviewed appropriately. Care plans were person centred and the majority provided an accurate guide for staff to consistently care for people. Staff supported people to access health care services if required. Staff told us they knew people well and recognised if they were unwell.

Staff had an understanding of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Care documentation reflected action had been taken and appropriate agencies involved where potential concerns were identified regarding people’s capacity to make decisions regarding their care.

There were enough staff to meet people's support needs and staff had regular training, supervision and appraisal to support them in their roles. Staff gave positive feedback about the training they underwent and people and their relatives told us they felt staff were well trained. Robust and appropriate pre-employment checks had been completed before staff began working for the provider.

People knew how to make a complaint or raise concerns with staff or the registered manager. There was an appropriate complaints system in place. People told us they were supported by friendly, reliable and caring staff who respected their privacy and promoted their independence. People who needed it were supported to eat and drink enough and staff knew what to do if they thought someone was at risk of not eating or drinking sufficient amounts. People were supported with their day to day health care needs.