Independent Lives (Disability)

Updated 12 May 2021

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 undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type

Independent Lives (Disability) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and specialist housing across West Sussex.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider 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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because Independent Lives (Disability) is a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 12 April 2021 and ended on 16 April 2021. We visited the office location on 13 April 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with five people who use the service and seven relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, operations manager, recruitment manager, senior care workers and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included ten people’s care records and multiple medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek feedback from professionals, staff and people who use the service. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 12 May 2021

About the service

Independent Lives (Disability) is a domiciliary care agency which provides support and enablement for people living in the community. At the time of the inspection 91 people were receiving support with personal care needs including those living with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, physical and mental health needs, learning and physical disabilities, and frailty of age.

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

Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and improper treatment. Staff knew how to identify potential harm and report concerns. People told us they felt safe with the care they received. Risks to people's safety had been assessed, monitored and managed. People received support from a skilled and consistent team of staff who knew them well.

People were treated with kindness and compassion and staff were friendly and respectful. People and their relatives spoke positively about staff and the care they received. People were treated with dignity and respect by a kind, caring staff. People and relatives told us they could not praise the service highly enough. Comments included "I would be lost without them", and "truly wonderful, they brighten my day".

There was a strong sense of leadership in the service that was open and inclusive. Systems and process were in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided. The registered manager focused on achieving outcomes for people and their staff. There were high levels of satisfaction amongst people and relatives who used the service. Everyone we spoke with said they would recommend the service to others.

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 (published 14 March 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.