About the service Community Lifeline is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. People had varying needs, some people were living with dementia, some people had a learning disability, or had physical conditions such as recovering from a stroke. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. The service was supporting approximately 38 people with their personal care at the time of inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe with staff and were confident they were well trained and knew how to provide their care and support. One person described how this was planned, “We talk about the things I need help with, so I don't hurt myself and it is written down. The carer helps me to do things carefully and safely and I feel looked after well.” People said there were enough staff as their care was never cancelled and staff always made sure they stayed the full length of time when visiting.
People were supported to access healthcare advice and assistance with their nutrition and hydration when this was needed. People and their relatives told us they were involved in and directed their care, making their own choices and decisions. One person told us, “I still have my independence to choose and make decisions about how I want to live, and they help me keep organised to do this.”
People and their relatives were overwhelmingly positive about the staff supporting them, describing them as caring and kind. One person said, “They are kind and they care. I have two different carers during the week and they are both caring and respectful."
People had the information they needed to make a complaint if they needed to and any complaints made were investigated and followed up. People and staff described a management team who were approachable and listened to what they had to say. There was a clear open and person-centred culture where people and staff felt supported.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (Report published 25 November 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.