Archived: Live-in Care Solutions Ltd

Updated 18 January 2016

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.

This inspection took place on 30 November & 1 December 2015 and was announced and was undertaken by one inspector. 48 hours’ notice of the inspection was given because the service is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.’

Before the inspection we contacted health and social care commissioners who place and monitor the care of people living in the home. We also reviewed the information we held about the service, including statutory notifications that the provider had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with two people who used the service, three members of staff including care staff and the registered manager and one relative.

We reviewed the care records and of four people who used the service and four staff recruitment files. We also reviewed records relating to the management and quality assurance of the service.

Updated 18 January 2016

This announced inspection took place on 30 November & 1 December 2015. This domiciliary care service is registered to provide personal care support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service supported five people in 24 hour live in care packages in different counties.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

People were actively involved in decision about their care and support needs, however there were no formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People felt safe and there were clear lines of reporting safeguarding concerns to appropriate agencies and staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding adults.

People were supported by staff that had the necessary skills and abilities to meet their needs, however there wasn’t evidence of this training in staff files.

People told us that they felt safe in their own home. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and abuse and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns. Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required at the times they needed. People told us there were sufficient staff to meet their needs. The recruitment practice protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work in their home.

Care records contained risk assessments to protect people from identified risks and help to keep them safe. They gave information for staff on the identified risk and informed staff on the measures to take to minimise any risks.

People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. Records showed that medicines were obtained, stored, administered and disposed of safely. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare services when needed.

Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care. People participated in a range of activities both in their own home and in the community and received the support they needed to help them do this. People were able to choose where they spent their time and what they did.

Staff had good relationships with the people who they cared for. Complaints were appropriately investigated and action was taken to make improvements to the service when this was found to be necessary. The manager was accessible and made monthly visits to people using the service to monitor the quality of the service provided. Staff and people were confident that issues would be addressed and that any concerns they had would be listened to.