YourLife (Kenilworth)

YourLife (Kenilworth) is registered as a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care to people in their own homes. YourLife (Kenilworth) provides care and support to people who live at Wilton Court assisted living apartments. At the time of our inspection eight people who lived at Wilton Court were being supported with personal care.

People's experience of using this service:

•People were closely involved in the development of their individual support plans and met with senior staff on a regular basis to discuss and agree any changes.

•People received support from a consistent staff team who knew them well and arrived at the times agreed within their package of care. Staff used their knowledge of people to provide them with flexible, responsive support.

•Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from avoidable harm. The registered manager assessed any potential risks to people and staff and put preventive measures in place to address them.

•Staff received regular training and followed good practice in respect of managing people’s medicines and infection control.

•Staff were aware of people’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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 described a kind and caring staff team who were respectful of their privacy and dignity and promoted their independence. Staff spoke about people with sensitivity and had a non-discriminatory approach to people’s diversity and lifestyle choices.

•Staff were aware of people’s health and wellbeing and, where necessary, supported them to eat and drink well.

•There were processes in place to share information so staff had the most up to date details to respond to any changes in people’s needs.

•The registered manager arranged regular social events to enhance people’s lives and prevent them from becoming socially isolated or lonely.

•The registered manager promoted a culture that was person-centred and inclusive. The people and staff we spoke with us told us how highly they thought of the registered manager who they described as approachable, visible, respectful and caring.

•Staff were motivated to provide the best care because they were part of a supportive team and felt valued within their role.

•The provider had systems in place to gather people’s feedback about the service and monitor the quality of the care provided.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published December 2016)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection to confirm that the service remained good.

Follow up:

We plan to continue to inspect the service in line with our inspection programme for services rated good. Until then we will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care.

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

We inspected YourLife Kenilworth on 2 and 3 November 2016. This service was last inspected on 22 May 2014; we found the provider was compliant with the essential standards described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 told us they were supported by staff who they knew and trusted. There were enough care staff to deliver the care and support people required. Care staff received the training and support they needed to meet people’s needs. People told us staff were kind and respected their privacy, dignity and independence.

Staff had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and knew what actions to take to keep people safe. Identified risks were assessed and managed in a way that promoted people’s independence and safety. There was a safe procedure for managing people’s medicines and people received their medicines as prescribed. Care staff were properly checked during recruitment to make sure they were suitable to work with people who used the service.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and care staff respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care.

People felt involved in their care and care plans provided guidance for staff about how people liked their care delivered. Plans were regularly reviewed, and care staff were kept informed of any changes to make sure people continued to have the support they needed.

People knew how to complain and information about making a complaint was made available for people. Care staff said they could raise any concerns or issues with the registered manager, knowing they would be listened to and acted on.

There was an experienced registered manager who provided good leadership and who people and care staff found approachable and responsive. There were systems to monitor and review the quality of service people received and to understand the experiences of people who used the service. There was a programme of checks and audits which the provider used to monitor and improve the service.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we observed, the records we looked at and what people using the service and staff told us.

If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary, please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

People told us they were satisfied with the service they received and felt safe in their apartments and with the staff. One person told us, " I feel very safe when the staff are visiting me."

A policy and procedure on protecting people from abuse was in place. Staff knew the signs of potential abuse and knew their responsibilities if abuse was suspected or disclosed. Staff had received training as part of their induction on safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse. Certificates were available to confirm this.

The estates manager understood her responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act. People who used the service had capacity make their own decisions The estates manager said she would follow the policy if it were deemed necessary.

Is the service effective?

People had care plans and risk assessments in place. People told us they had discussed their care and support needs with the estates manager prior to receiving a service. People told us their care plans met their needs. One person said, "I have a plan in place. I know what it says because it's what I asked for."

Staff received a thorough induction when they commenced work with the service. This included the completion of common induction standards, training and shadowing more experienced staff. This enabled them to carry out their care role effectively.

Is the service caring?

People spoke about the staff in a very complimentary manner. One person said, "They (the staff) are lovely and they work very hard." A second person told us, "The staff are wonderful; they can't do enough for you." We observed staff chatting with people who used the service in a respectful and kind manner.

Staff spoke about people who used the service in a kind and professional way. Staff told us, "The people are lovely, it's hard work but I enjoy it" and "It's a really friendly atmosphere, I really enjoy the care side, I enjoy working with the people we support."

Is the service responsive?

Regular reviews were held with people to ensure the care they received continued to meet their needs. One person told us, "They came up last week to discuss my care to make sure it was still meeting my needs. They also pop up and check I'm ok regularly." Records we saw confirmed people's care was reviewed regularly.

People were able to purchase care for specific times when they required it. One person told us they had requested a care service recently following an accident. They told us, "I've been receiving care for a few weeks now. It's been wonderful; they look after me really well.

Is the service well led?

A system was in place to seek the views of people who used the service.

The estates manager recorded all accidents or incidents. The organisation had systems to support staff in learning from incidents and accidents . This minimised the possibilities of them re-occurring.

Monthly checks on areas such as domestic and care support, accidents and incidents, complaints and safeguarding were carried out by the estates manager. These were reviewed by the area manager on a monthly basis and advice and guidance provided regarding any issues identified.