About the service:

YourLife (Sheffield) is registered as a domiciliary care service. It provides care to people living in their own apartments within Windsor House in Sheffield. Not everyone living at Windsor House uses YourLife (Sheffield). CQC only inspects the service for people receiving ‘personal care;’ that is help with tasks associated with personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 18 people who lived at Windsor House were receiving the regulated activity ‘personal care.’

People’s experience of using this service:

Systems and processes were in place to safeguard people from abuse and avoidable harm. People told us they felt safe with the staff that supported them. People were highly satisfied with the service they received from staff and respect for privacy and dignity was at the heart of the service’s culture and values. It was embedded in everything that the service and its staff did. Both people and staff reported feeling respected, listened to and influential.

People received personalised care that was responsive and specific to their needs and preferences. People’s needs were assessed and risks to people were managed so they were supported to stay safe, whilst having their freedom respected. People were supported to have maximum control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in place at the service supported this practice. Everyone we spoke with provided positive feedback on how staff were supportive and went the extra mile to get care just right for people. They described how they were supported to be involved and consulted in decisions about their care and support.

Where people did have concerns or complaints these were listened and responded to.

The service had safe systems in place for the management of medicines and the prevention and control of infection.

The service made sure there were sufficient numbers of suitable staff who had received training to provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and support. People spoke of a fantastic staff team that were reliable, consistent and did not rush.

The whole service continued to have a good track record. The service promoted links with the local community and healthcare professionals to deliver effective care and support so that people were supported to live healthier and fulfilled lives.

Staff told us it was a good team and they were valued by managers. Staff were motivated and proud of the service. There were high levels of satisfaction across all staff. There was a strong emphasis on continuous improvement with staff gaining additional qualifications and involved in how service delivery could develop and improve for people.

The registered manager had a clear vision and was passionate in providing high quality care and support, promoting a culture that was person-centred, open, inclusive and empowering for both people and staff. The registered manager was supported in this by an organisation where responsibilities were clear and where quality performance, risks and regulatory requirements were understood and managed.

Where systems and processes went wrong or were not followed lessons were learned and improvements made to minimise the same error in the future.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 14 June 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 outstanding. 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

This announced inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector on 12 August 2016. This was the first inspection of Your Life (Sheffield) since it was registered in June 2013.

Your Life (Sheffield) is a domiciliary care agency and is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides services to people living within an assisted living development known as Windsor House, which is located in the suburbs of Sheffield and is close to local amenities. The assisted living development consists of self-contained retirement flats, which people purchase, together with communal facilities, including a restaurant. The Your Life (Sheffield) office is located within the assisted living development. People can live at Windsor House without needing personal care from the service, or from other care agencies. At the time of our inspection 18 people were receiving personal care from the service.

There was registered manager for the service. 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.

Safe recruitment procedures were followed to ensure people were not exposed to staff who may pose a potential risk to their wellbeing. Staff knew how to report concerns about people’s welfare and had confidence in the registered manager taking appropriate action when this was required. Known risks to people were assessed to enable staff to manage these safely. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs. People told us staff were reliable, consistent, did not rush and provided them with their medicines when required.

Staff were provided with a range of training to enable them to effectively meet people’s needs. Staff had opportunities to develop their careers and their performance was regularly monitored through a programme of supervision and appraisals. The service was following the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to ensure people’s human and legal rights were promoted. At the time of the inspection no-one had needed to be referred to the Court of Protection because of concerns about a deprivation of liberty.

Staff maintained people’s confidentiality whilst upholding their rights for privacy. People told us they were treated with dignity and respect by care staff who knew them well. Care staff understood people’s individual needs and preferences to ensure a personalised service was delivered. People’s nutritional needs were supported and they had opportunities to participate in a range of social activities to ensure their wellbeing was promoted.

A complaints procedure was in place to ensure people’s concerns were addressed and acted on appropriately. A range of management audits were carried out to enable the quality of the service to be monitored and acted on where this was required. People were encouraged to provide feedback about the service to enable it to learn and develop. People told us that management was approachable and staff said they enjoyed their work.