Summary

About the service: Happylife Care is a domiciliary service which provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service provided care to two people, and regularly cared for other people on a short-term basis, to meet their needs.

People's experience of using this service:

People and their relatives told us they could rely on staff to provide the care agreed.

People’s needs were carefully assessed, so staff could be sure they would be able to meet their needs.

People were supported by staff who understood the risks to their safety and who supported them to reduce risks, whilst promoting their choices.

Staff knew how to identify concerns, such as abuse, or people becoming anxious, and understood how to protect people.

People's care was planned with them and reflected their preferences. Staff considered people’s rights to independence, dignity and privacy when planning and providing their care.

Staff had the skills to meet people's needs and supported people to access the healthcare they needed, so they would remain well.

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.

People and staff had developed strong bonds, and care was provided by a consistent staff team, who cared for people in ways which showed them they were valued.

Staff understood what was important to people and tailored the care provided so people’s goals were met and their well-being enhanced.

People and their relatives knew how to raise any concerns and complaint. Relatives told us any suggestions they made to improve their family member’s care were listened to.

Relatives, staff and other health and social care professionals were positive about the way the service was managed.

The registered manager sought people's views and experiences as part of their quality assurance processes. Staff were encouraged to reflect on the care provided so improvements to the service would be driven through.

We found the service met the characteristics of a "Good" rating.

Rating at last inspection: Good. The last report for Happylife Care was published on 14 December 2016.

Why we inspected: This inspection was a scheduled inspection based on previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service and will inspect within 30 months of the report being published.

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

This inspection was announced and took place on 8 November 2016. We gave the provider 48 hours’ of our intention to undertake the inspection. This was because the service provides domiciliary care to people in their own homes and we needed to make sure someone would be available at the office.

Happylife Care is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. There was a registered manager in place who is also the registered provider. 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. At the time of our inspection 30 people received care and support services.

The registered provider manages the service and also provides care, together with a small team of staff. People were supported by staff who had received training in how to recognise possible signs of abuse and how to report any concerns. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in this area and what actions they should take.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs. Staff had received appropriate induction training and on-going training was in place. This was in order to develop staff and ensure they had the skills to meet the needs of the people they supported. Currently people did not require support with their medicines but staff had received training if this support was needed.

People were involved in how their care and support was received. People were given choices and their wishes were respected by staff. Staff understood they could only care for and support people who consented to being cared for. People told us staff responded when they were unwell and would arrange health appointments on their behalf if they asked.

People told us they liked the staff who supported them and staff spoke warmly of the people they cared for. Staff enjoyed their role and felt supported by the registered provider to provide a good service.

People told us they could talk to staff and the registered provider if they had any concerns and they would be listened to. The registered provider encouraged an open office where staff could ‘pop in at any time’.

People and staff said the registered provider was available when they needed to contact them and staff felt able to raise any areas of concern or new ideas with them. People were positive about the care and support they received. The registered provider ensured regular checks were completed to monitor the quality of the care that people received.