This inspection was announced and took place on 11 August 2016. We gave the provider short notice of the inspection as we needed to make sure we were able to access records and gain permission from people who used the agency to telephone them. The last inspection of the service was carried out on 30 August 2013. No concerns were identified with the care being provided to people at that inspection.
CL Lifestyles provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection the agency was providing support with personal care to 4 people. The service specialises in supporting and caring for people at the end of their life. Some people would have care for years whilst other people might have just one or two visits according to their needs and family circumstances.
CL Lifestyles had worked in partnership with the National Gold Standards Framework Centre for the End of Life Care to gain accreditation in 2014. The Gold Standards Framework for Domiciliary Care aims to improve care for people in their last years of life. Accreditation indicates the service is providing specialised care to a nationally recognised standard.
There is a registered manager in post. 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. The registered manager is also the sole provider.
People and their relatives were very complimentary about the quality of the service provided and of the management and staff team. They felt the care was very good. One relative told us “Overall they are the gold standard. The highest compliment I can pay them is that I trust them to care for (my relative) when I am away.” One person told us “I have been receiving support from CL Lifestyles now for almost a year, so far I have found very little to complain about. Overall, very pleased.”
A professional described the service as “Always reliable.” They said working with the service was “always a positive experience.”
There was other feedback that showed how well people had been supported when they had been ill. Relatives felt they had been exceptionally well supported when their relative had been at the end of their life.
People had consistent staff that they were able to build trusting relationships with. This ensured people received care from a small number of staff who they got to know well. This aspect of the service was very much valued by people.
Care was planned and delivered in a way that was personalised to each person. Staff monitored people’s healthcare needs and, where changes in needs were identified, care was adjusted to make sure people continued to receive care which met their needs and supported their dignity and independence.
Staff worked effectively with family members and other healthcare professionals to make sure people were fully supported.
The service had a robust recruitment procedure that ensured staff were thoroughly checked before they began work. Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse and all said they were confident that any issues raised would be appropriately addressed by the registered manager. People felt safe with the staff who supported them.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and plan on-going improvements. People using the service and staff felt involved and able to make suggestions or raise concerns.