Yourlife (Alton)

Yourlife (Alton) provides home care services to people who live in one of the leasehold apartments located in the grounds of Austen Place, Alton; if people wish to purchase a personal care service from the provider. People can also arrange personal care with external providers if preferred. At the time of our inspection four people received personal care from the provider.

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.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were very happy with the care they received and looked forward to seeing staff. Their feedback included, “I cannot think of a better place to be” and “The provider understands what care is about and gets staff who also know what it is about, which makes life good.”

Processes and systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff supported people to manage identified risks to them, whilst respecting their rights and freedoms. Processes were in place to protect people from the risk of cross-infection. People received their medicines safely, from trained staff. There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff to support people and people could access assistance out of office hours if required.

People received effective care that was planned and delivered in accordance with current legislation and guidance. People were supported by staff who were appropriately trained and skilled. Staff assessed and monitored people’s food and drink requirements. Staff worked across organisations to ensure people’s needs, including their health needs were met. Staff provided people with relevant information about how to manage their health care needs.

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.

Staff knew and respected the people they care for and supported. People enjoyed their interactions with staff. They told us, “I have a good relationship with staff.” People were encouraged to express their views and to make decisions about their care. Staff promoted people’s privacy and dignity during the provision of their care.

People received personalised care, tailored to their needs and preferences. People had formed friendships within the service and were able to participate in a range of activities to reduce social isolation. There were good links with the local community, which increased people’s opportunities for social inclusion.

The service was led by an experienced manager whom people and staff had confidence in. Staff were well motivated in their role. The registered manager sought the views of both people and staff about the service, and these were acted upon.

Processes were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and to enable people to make a complaint if they needed to. People felt confident any issues they raised would be addressed.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 14/12/2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

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.