Time For You

Updated 27 January 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

The service had a manager who was also the provider who had applied to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three relatives about their experience of the care provided to their loved ones. We spoke with four members of staff including the manager, operational manager and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, quality assurance records and support plans.

Updated 27 January 2022

About the service

Time For You PA services is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to 7 people in their own homes. The service supports people living with autism, learning disabilities, and people living with acquired brain injuries.

At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 7 people. 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 supported to remain safe whilst promoting their independence. Staff were aware of how to raise a safeguarding concern and had received training in this. Risks to people were assessed and detailed support plans were in place. People were looked after by staff who knew them well and understood their needs and potential risks to them.

There were enough staff to support people and staff were intentionally matched with people to ensure their personalities were a good fit. Medicines were managed safely and staff were appropriately trained. Good infection prevention and control procedures were in place and they were followed correctly by staff.

Lessons were learnt and shared with the team. Accidents and incidents were monitored, and actions were recorded. People knew how to make a complaint and actions taken following any complaints were recorded.

The assessment process was robust and was completed by two staff members and included several stages to ensure all information about the person was gathered. Staff understood people’s needs and information relating to their care. People knew how to make a complaint or raise a concern and felt confident that this would be taken forward, we saw that complaints were handled well and action was taken appropriately.

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. People were supported to live their lives in the way in which they wished, the service took a proactive approach to managed risk and independence to ensure people could have complete choice and control over their lives.

People told us that staff were kind, caring and considerate. There was a caring and open approach throughout the service, people and relatives felt that they worked in partnership with the agency and had full involvement in the care they received.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

• People were supported in their own homes and staff supported people to live the life they chose. Staff assisted people to go about their daily lives such as go to the gym, attend work and maintain social relationships.

Right care:

• Care was highly personalised and was tailored to the individual’s specific needs. Staff knew people well and would adapt the care they provided to meet how the person was feeling and responded.

Right culture:

• There was an open and empowering leadership culture, this allowed staff to adopt a caring and proactive approach when delivering care.

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 09/07/2020 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.