Yourlife (Thatcham)

Updated 6 April 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in specialist housing.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at all the information we held about the service including notifications. A notification is

information about events that the registered persons are required, by law, to tell us about. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people who use the service and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 10 members of staff, including the registered manager and area manager. We reviewed a range of records. These included 4 people’s care records, 4 staff files and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found and sought feedback from healthcare professionals involved with the service.

Updated 6 April 2023

About the service

Yourlife (Thatcham) is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living within a retirement village. The service provides support to older adults who may also suffer from physical disability, sensory impairment or dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 6 people using the service.

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 and their relatives told us they felt safe using the service. Effective systems were in place to ensure peoples’ safety. Recruitment processes ensured suitability of staff for their roles. There were enough staff to meet peoples’ needs, and staff were knowledgeable about their role in keeping people safe from harm. Risk assessments were comprehensive and reviewed regularly. There were robust systems in place to ensure safe medicine administration.

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 involved in their care planning and were supported to maintain their independence.

Feedback from people and relatives was unanimously positive. People told us staff were caring, kind, compassionate and friendly. One person told us, “they treat us like family.” Staff we spoke to were passionate about their roles. One staff member told us, “I honestly enjoy going to work every day and making people smile and I am proud to be a part of the team.”

People and their relatives said they felt listened to and were comfortable raising concerns. People’s communication needs were assessed, and care plans included detailed descriptions of their communication requirements.

All feedback about the registered manager was positive. The registered manager had good oversight of the service and was supported by the area manager. The registered manager and staff knew people well, and demonstrated a shared sense of respect for each other, and the people they supported.

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 24 June 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned comprehensive inspection as a newly registered service. This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.