Your Life (Ely)

Updated 29 May 2019

The inspection:

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.

Inspection team:

This unannounced inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Your Life (Ely) is a domiciliary care service and provides assisted living support to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to older people, people living with dementia, people with a physical disability and people with sensory impairments.

Not everyone using Your Life (Ely) receives the regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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 did not announce this inspection as the service is assisted living and the registered manager is usually at the service's main office address.

Inspection activity took place on between 8 and 15 May 2019. We visited the office location on 8 May 2019 to see the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. On the 15 May 2019 we spoke with a relative by telephone.

What we did:

Before this inspection we checked the information we held about the service and the provider, such as notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We used this information to assist with the planning of the inspection. We spoke with two people using the service, the area manager, the registered manager, a duty manager and three care staff.

We also asked for feedback from commissioners of the service and safeguarding teams. No concerns were reported. During the inspection we looked at various records, including care records for two people, as well as other records relating to the running of the service. These included files for two new staff, training records, medicine administration records, audits and various meeting minutes.

Updated 29 May 2019

About the service:

Your Life (Ely) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older people, people living with dementia, people with physical disabilities and people with sensory impairments.

At the time of our inspection staff were providing personal care to two people.

People’s experience of using this service:

Risks to people were identified and managed well. Staff understood what safeguarding people meant and knew the reporting mechanisms if they should be needed. One person told us, "[Staff] always arrive when I want them to and never leave early." The provider had robust recruitment procedures to ensure there were enough staff with the right skills to keep people safe.

People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed by trained and competent staff. One person said, "[Staff] prompt me to make sure I have taken my medicines." Lessons were learned when things did not go quite so well. Infection control systems promoted good hygiene standards.

Staff received the support they needed including shadowing experienced staff, training updates and regular supervision. People's needs were met by staff who had relevant skills. One person told us that staff knew them ever so well. People's independence was upheld. People were supported to eat a healthy balanced diet. Staff enabled people to access healthcare support by working well with others involved in people’s care. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were cared for by staff with sincerity, kindness and compassion. Staff knew people well and they promoted people’s privacy, dignity, culture needs and independence. People had a say and choice in who and how their care was provided. One person told us, "I decided what care I needed and that is exactly what I get, perfect care."

People’s care was person centred and based on what was important to them. People's concerns were satisfactorily dealt with and acted on before they became a complaint. Compliments were used to identify what had gone well. Systems were in place to meet people’s end of life care needs and help ensure a dignified and pain free death.

The registered manager promoted and supported an open and honest staff team culture. Staff upheld the provider's values by enabling people to live fulfilling lives. Governance and oversight of the quality of the service was effective and helped drive improvements. People had a say in how the service was run and developed. People received care that worked well and was coordinated where others were involved including community nursing teams and GPs. One person told us, "I would absolutely have no hesitation in recommending the service to anyone. I am very happy living here."

Why we inspected: This was the first planned inspection of Your Life (Ely) since it was registered in April 2018.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk