Your Life (Lymington)

Updated 24 April 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 4 April 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider 24 hours’ notice that we would be visiting the service. This was because the service provides care to people living in their own homes and we wanted to make sure staff would be available to speak with us.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service including statutory notifications that had been submitted. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us.

We also contacted three health and social care professionals for feedback on the service but did not receive any responses.

The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During our inspection we spoke with the registered manager, two members of staff, three people receiving care and support in their own homes and one relative. Following our inspection we spoke with a further relative by telephone to obtain feedback on the delivery of care.

We reviewed care records and documents central to people's health and well-being. These included care records relating to four people, recruitment records for four staff members, staff training records and quality audits.

We last inspected the service in March 2016 and rated the service as Good.

Updated 24 April 2018

The inspection of this service took place on 4 April 2018 and was announced.

Your Life (Lymington) provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

There were 42 individual apartments within the building. There was an office base and staff provided people with a range of services including, personal care, medicines management and cleaning services. At the time of the inspection four people were receiving care and support.

The service had 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.

People told us they felt safe when staff were in their homes and the staff called at the expected times which helped to make them feel safer.

People were safe because staff understood their role and responsibilities to keep them safe from harm. Staff had received training to deliver care safely and to an appropriate standard.

Staff had a good knowledge of the provider’s whistleblowing policy and procedures which meant they were able to raise concerns to protect people from unsafe care.

People were supported by staff that promoted their independence, respected their dignity and maintained their privacy.

Care plans reflected people's individual needs and preferences and were regularly reviewed to ensure that they continued to meet people's needs.

Risks to people had been assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure people’s individual needs were being met safely.

Recruitment processes were robust to make sure people were cared for by suitable staff. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs and to keep them safe from harm.

Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and their responsibilities to ensure that people who were unable to make their own decisions about their care and support were protected.

There was an effective complaints system in place. People told us they were confident to raise any issues about their care and that they would be listened to and addressed.

People told us the service was well-led and managed by an effective and organised management team.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.