About the service:

Your Life (Ferndown) is a domiciliary care agency that was providing personal care to three older adults living in their own homes at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe and were confident in the staff team describing them as honest and genuine. Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood their role in identifying and reporting any concerns of potential abuse or poor practice. Risks to people were assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff understood the actions needed to minimise the risk of avoidable harm including the prevention of avoidable infection.

Records showed us that staff had been recruited safely, including criminal record checks to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. Staffing levels met people’s care needs and choices and had the flexibility to be responsive when needs changed.

Staff supported people to take medicines safely. Staff were trained in medicines management and knew how to ensure that people received their medicines on time and as they had been prescribed.

People had access to healthcare services and were involved in decisions about their wellbeing. Partnerships with other care agencies and health professionals enabled effective outcomes for people

Initial assessments captured people’s care needs and lifestyle choices including any cultural or spiritual needs. The information had been used to create clear person-centred care plans that were understood and followed by the care staff team.

Staff received an induction and on-going training and support that enabled them to carry out their roles effectively. Opportunities for professional development had included national diplomas in health and social 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 spoke positively about the care they received describing staff as kind, caring and patient. People had their dignity, privacy and independence respected. People were signposted to advocacy support if needed. A complaints process was in place and people told us if they had concerns they felt confident they would be listened to and actions taken.

People and staff spoke positively about the management of the service describing visible leadership and an open, honest culture. Legal reporting requirements were met. Quality assurance processes were effective in monitoring service delivery and improving outcomes for people when identified.

Rating at last inspection: The service was rated ‘Good’ at our last inspection carried out on the 14 November 2016.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on previous rating.

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.

This inspection took place on 15 November 2016 and was announced. It was carried out by one adult social care inspector. We gave the provider short notice of the inspection as we needed to make sure they were available so that we were able to access records, talk to staff and gain permission from people who used the agency to talk to them.

The last inspection of the service was carried out in January 2014. No concerns were identified with the care being provided to people at that inspection.

Your Life (Ferndown) is a domiciliary care agency which is based within an assisted living complex known as Cherrett Court. The people who live at Cherrett Court owned the apartments they live in and could choose whether they received help or support from the agency or not. The agency provides many services such as domestic chores, shopping and cooking however these are not regulated by us. The agency is registered and regulated by the Care Quality Commission for the activity of assisting people with personal care needs. At the time of our visit five people were receiving assistance with personal care needs.

There is 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 and their relatives were very complimentary about the quality of the service provided and of the management and staff team. One person said “I find all the staff extremely kind and caring. Nothing is too much trouble.” Another person said “It’s all wonderful for me here. The staff and management are lovely. I have never experienced anything but kindness and concern.”

People told us they were able to build trusting relationships with the staff team. The agency employed a small team of five care staff which meant people were supported by staff who know them well. A relative told us “[Person’s name] has built up such a great relationship with [member of staff’s name]. They have a great rapport and that is so important to [person’s name].”

There were effective procedures in place to help keep people safe and reduce the risk of harm or abuse. Before staff were offered employment they were thoroughly checked to make sure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff had been trained and had a good knowledge of how to recognise and report abuse or any concerns. People told us they felt safe. One person told us “I feel very safe here. Visitors can’t just walk in. They have to ring the bell at the main door first. I only buzz them in if I know them. There is also a CCTV camera outside which is connected to my television. Couldn’t be safer really.” Another person said “It’s reassuring to know there is always somebody about if you need them. I couldn’t feel any safer.”

People were treated with respect and staff had received training and knew how to make sure people’s legal and human rights were protected. Staff always sought people’s consent before assisting them with any task and people told us staff were courteous and respected their wishes.

Staff told us there was an on-call system which meant they had access to a senior member of staff when required. A member of staff provided sleep-in cover during the night and was available to assist people when required.

People told us the agency provided a reliable service. A relative told us “[name of staff] is so patient with [person’s name]. It’s all done at [Name of person’s] pace.” A person who used the service said “I’ve never known a carer be late and if we’re all done before my allocated time they will always ask if I want anything else doing. I have never felt rushed and have never felt they are clock watching.” Care was planned and delivered in a way that was personalised to each person. Staff mon

During our visit we spoke with two people who use Your Life services, and a relative of a person who uses the service. We also spoke with two members of the service’s care staff.

People told us that they understood the care choices available to them, and could have their views taken into account in the way their care was delivered. The registered manager told us, "We only have five people who receive a service at the moment."

We found that people's needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered to meet people's needs. A person's relative told us, "They’ve been very helpful. The carer is always cheerful." We saw that people's care was regularly reviewed and their personal information was held securely.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and their human rights were respected and upheld. A person told us, "I don’t have any worries about my care – I don’t know what I’d do without them. My carer goes the extra mile."

We found that staff were properly trained and supervised. We spoke with two members of the care staff. They told us that the service had offered them the opportunity to study for qualifications that were relevant to their work.

The provider had appropriate systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of care people received. The registered manager told us, “We are a small company. We don't have a huge amount of care provision. It's easy to monitor things here. We all monitor continuously."

People’s privacy, dignity and independence were respected. We found that people’s views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care. We observed that staff were polite and treated people with respect. We saw staff knocking on peoples’ apartment doors and waiting to be invited in.

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. One person told us: “Nothing is ever too much for the staff.”

Another person told us: “They deliver care exactly as I want it.”

We found that people who use the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. We saw that staff received regular training to enable them to carry out their roles knowledgably and safely

We found that there was an effective complaints system available. Comments and complaints people made were responded to appropriately. People we spoke to did not have any complaints to make. One person told us “some things do not go according to plan but it wouldn’t be a living place if things did not happen.”