Archived: R&L Healthcare Ltd

Updated 10 June 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 was a comprehensive inspection, which took place on 12 May 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be at their office.

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The provider returned the PIR and we took this into account when we made judgements in this report.

We looked at other information we held about the provider and the service. This included information received from the statutory notifications the provider had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to end to us by law. We also sought information from the local authority who commission services on behalf of people and Healthwatch. (The local consumer champion for health and social care services). We used this information to help us plan this inspection.

We spoke with three people who used the service and eight relatives by telephone following our inspection visit to the office. This was to establish people's views about the care and support provided. We had also received feedback from people who used the service, relatives and staff from questionnaires we had sent to them prior to our inspection. In addition to this we sampled the care records of three people and the comments people had expressed about staff who supported them in their homes.

During our inspection visit at the provider’s office we spoke with the registered manager, two care staff, care co-ordinator, registered general nurse, office manager and operations director. In addition we spoke with one staff member by telephone. We looked at four staff recruitment files, staff training records, records of complaints and compliments, and records associated with the provider's quality checking systems.

Updated 10 June 2017

R&L Healthcare Limited is a domiciliary care service. It is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. There were 29 people using the service on the day of our inspection.

At the last inspection, in June 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People continued to receive care which protected them from avoidable harm and abuse. Risks to people’s safety were identified and measures were in place to help reduce these risks. When people required support to take their medicines there was assurance staff only supported people when they had received the training to do so. Regular checks on staff practices were undertaken to support people’s safety.

Staff were available to respond to and meet people's needs safely without people feeling rushed and/or care calls being missed. Checks were completed on potential new staff to make sure they were suitable to support people in their own homes.

People were provided with care which continued to be effective in meeting their particular needs. Staff received training to provide them the skills and knowledge they needed to support staff in providing the right care and support people required. Additional specialist training was sought to raise staffs skills to support their confidence and competence in providing the care to meet people’s complex needs.

Staff asked people's permission before they assisted them with any care or support. People's right to make their own decisions about their own care and how they received this were supported by staff. When needed, arrangements were in place to support people in remaining in good health and have enough to eat and drink.

People continued to receive support from staff who had a caring approach. People knew the staff who supported them and had good relationships with them. People felt involved in their own care and staff listened to what they wanted. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity when they supported them and promoted their independence which people appreciated.

People were provided with care and support which was individual to them. Their care and support needs were kept under review and staff responded when there were changes in these needs. There continued to be a flexible approach to providing people with the care they required at times when people needed this the most which reflected a responsive approach when people wanted to remain living in their own homes.

People were encouraged to raise concerns and make complaints and were happy these would be responded to. The management team used feedback from complaints to assist them in focusing upon areas of improvements for the benefit of people.

Staff were happy in their work and were clear about their roles and responsibilities. There was an ethos of keeping people at the heart of their care amongst the staff team which the management team wanted to continue to develop by supporting staff in a variety of ways to be the best they could be.

There was a clearly defined management structure which had changed since our previous inspection. People felt listened to when they provided feedback about the service they received and knew about the changes. The management team worked well together and aspired to use and develop and add to the systems in place so these continued to be effective and responsive in assessing and monitoring the quality of the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.