Your Life (Royston)

Updated 6 July 2019

The inspection

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

Inspection team

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care service. It provides personal care to people living in their own apartments.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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 gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection site visit because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity was started on 10 June 2019 and ended on 20 June 2019. We visited the office location on 10 June 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service from the provider since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the provider’s quality lead, the area manager, the registered manager and two care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to corroborate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. On 20 June 2019 we spoke with relatives of two people who used the service by telephone to gather their views on the quality of the service provided for people.

Updated 6 July 2019

About the service

Your Life (Royston) operates an assisted living scheme in a purpose-built private development called Goodes Court. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own flats. It provides a service to older adults. The development consists of 52 flats privately owned and occupied by older people who also share some communal areas and facilities; such as dining rooms, lounges and gardens.

Not everyone using Your Life (Royston) receives a 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 consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives said they felt the service provided was safe. Staff understood the action to take if they suspected harm or abuse. People were protected from risks associated with their care needs because care plans guided staff to support people in a way that reduced identified risks. People told us that enough staff were available to meet their care and support needs and that their care was provided regularly and on time. The registered manager said they could respond very quickly in terms of providing additional care hours if a person’s needs escalated.

The provider operated robust recruitment procedures and checks to help ensure staff were suitable to work at the service. People’s medicines were managed safely, and people received them as prescribed. Staff had access to cleaning products and equipment such as gloves to support people to keep their homes clean and free from infection. The provider had a system to analyse incidents and accidents, and this was used to identify themes and learning.

Staff assessed, and documented people's needs and preferences in relation to their care and planned support based on this. People and their relatives said staff were trained to do their jobs well. Staff received supervision and competency observations to help ensure they had the knowledge to perform their job roles. People’s dietary needs and requirements were identified in their care plans and staff had a good understanding of how to support people with these.

Staff and the management team worked well with other professionals for the benefit of people who used the service. Information was shared appropriately with external professionals to help ensure people received consistent care and support. 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.

Staff communicated with people in a kind and respectful manner. Staff had a good understanding of the needs of the people they supported. People and relatives told us they felt people were treated fairly and were free from discrimination. People’s care plans showed they were consulted about changes to their care and these were documented. People were able to choose how and where they spent their day either in their own apartments or together with other homeowners in the comfortable and pleasant communal areas. People were supported to take part in activities based on their interests to help reduce the risk of social isolation.

The service had a complaints and compliments policy, this was available in different formats for people to use. People and their relatives told us they would be confident to raise anything of concern with the management team. People were supported to stay in their own home and receive end of life care if they chose to do so, and extra support was put in place by the service to facilitate this when needed.

The registered manager and staff knew people and their families well which enabled positive relationships to develop and good outcomes for people living at Goodes Court. Systems were in place to monitor and evaluate services provided. Concerns, incidents, accidents and notifications were reviewed by the provider’s senior management team to analyse and identify trends and risks, to prevent re-occurrence and improve quality.

The roles of management and the staff team were clearly defined and understood. The provider had developed effective systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Systems were in place to learn from accidents, incidents and complaints. The service worked closely with other agencies to help ensure good outcomes for people.

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

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection the service was rated as Good. (Last report published 27 October 2016)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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