We carried out this inspection on 27 January 2017. We told the provider we were coming 48 hours before the visit so they could arrange for people and staff to be available to talk with us about the service.

YourLife (Bentley Heath) is a service which provides personal care support to older people in their own homes. All of the people supported live in the same building, and the care service is based on site as part of an assisted living environment. At the time of our inspection visit, six people used the service and they were referred to as ‘homeowners.’ Two people who used the service were in hospital at the time of our inspection visit.

The service has a registered manager. 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. A registered manager was in place and had been since October 2015 when the service started.

People told us they felt safe using the service because care workers were skilled and knowledgeable, and knew how to care for them well. Care workers had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and who to contact if safeguarding concerns were raised.

Checks were carried out prior to care workers starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service. Care workers received an induction to the organisation, and a programme of training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), and the registered manager understood the actions to take if they were concerned people were being deprived of their liberty.

People who required support had enough to eat and drink during the day and were assisted to manage their health needs. Care workers referred people to other professionals if they had any concerns.

People had consistent staff they were familiar with and who provided support as outlined in their care plans. Following some recent recruitment, there were enough staff to care for people they supported and bank staff were used when required.

People told us care workers were kind and caring and had the right skills and experience to provide the care they required. People were supported with dignity and respect. Care workers encouraged people to be independent and the focus of the service was to develop people’s skills and confidence further.

Care plans contained detailed, relevant information for care workers to help them provide personalised care including processes to minimise risks to people’s safety. People received their medicines when required from staff trained to administer them.

People knew how to complain and had opportunities to share their views and opinions about the service they received. This was through regular review meetings, homeowner meetings and also surveys.

Care workers were confident they could raise any concerns or issues with the registered manager knowing they would be listened to and acted on. People and staff told us the management team were effective and approachable.

The management team gave care workers formal opportunities to discuss any issues or raise concerns with them. There were some processes to monitor the quality of the service provided. These checks and audits ensured care workers worked in line with policies and procedures.