Archived: Living Independently Staffordshire - Stafford

Updated 30 December 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 14 December 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure someone was available to facilitate the inspection.

This inspection was undertaken by one inspector and 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.

We reviewed the information we held on the service. We looked at notifications sent to us by the registered manager and used the action plan they had sent us following our previous inspection to inform the inspection. Providers are required to notify the Care Quality Commission about specific events and incidents that occur including serious injuries to people receiving care and any incidences which put people at risk of harm. We refer to these as notifications.

We spoke with five people who used the service and four of their relatives. We spoke with two care staff, a team leader and the registered manager.

We looked at two people's care records, two staff recruitment files, a staff rota, training records and the systems in place to monitor and improve the service. We did this to check the provider was meeting the required standards.

Updated 30 December 2016

This inspection took place on 14 December 2016 and was announced. This was the provider's first inspection of this service since registration.

Living Independently Staffordshire supported people with personal care and re-enablement in their own homes for up to six weeks. At the time of this inspection there were 32 people using the service.

There was 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.

People were protected from abuse and the risk of abuse as staff and the manager followed the correct procedures and reported potential abuse to the local safeguarding authority for further investigation.

Risks to people were assessed and minimised through the effective use of risk assessment and staff knowledge of people and their risks.

There were sufficient numbers of suitably trained staff to keep people safe. Staff had been employed using safe recruitment procedures to ensure they were of good character. Staff had been trained to administer people's medicines safely.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) is designed to protect people who cannot make decisions for themselves or lack the mental capacity to do so. The provider worked within the guidelines of the MCA to ensure that people consented to their care, treatment and support or were supported to consent with their representatives if they lacked capacity.

People's planned care was personalised and met their individual needs and preferences. The provider had a complaints procedure and people knew how to use it.

Staff were supported to fulfil their role effectively. There was a regular programme of training that was relevant to the needs of people, which was kept up to date.

People were supported to eat and drink to maintain a healthy lifestyle dependent on their specific needs and choices. The staff worked with other health care agencies to ensure people's health needs were met. When people became unwell staff knew what to do and responded and sought the appropriate support.

People told us that staff were kind and caring and their privacy was respected. People's feedback on the service was regularly gained. The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service.