The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: R&L Healthcare Ltd

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Unit 7, Offerton Barns Business Centre, Offerton Lane, Hindlip, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR3 8SX (01905) 455669

Provided and run by:
Mrs Rosaleen Mary Fahy

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

12 May 2017

During a routine inspection

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.

24 June 2015

During a routine inspection

We undertook an announced inspection on 24 June 2015.We gave the provider 48 hour’s notice of our intention to undertake an inspection. This was because the organisation provides a domiciliary care service to people in their own homes and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office.

The provider registered this service with us to provide personal care to people who live in their own home. At the time of our inspection 27 people received care and support services in their own home. Services provided are for children and adults who may have a range of needs which include end of life care, complex health conditions which include physical disabilities and dementia. The provider is also the owner and registered manager. 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.

Relatives told us that their family members felt safe with the care staff who came to their home and they knew how to provide the care people needed. Care staff were able to describe in detail the needs of the people they provided care for and how to keep people safe from harm and abuse. Care staff showed an awareness of the risks to people as these had been identified, assessed and were reviewed on a regular basis.

People received their care on time and if care staff were occasionally late, people were notified of this. Every effort was made so that where possible, people received care from the same care staff to ensure continuity of care, although it was acknowledged that this was not always possible.

People were supported with their medicines when needed, by care staff who had received the training. Care staff checked people had received their medicines as prescribed. Where people had prescribed creams care staff had written information so that they knew where people required their creams applied.

Care staff were provided with the training and information required in order to support people’s individual needs effectively. Staff had opportunities to reflect on their practice and consider their personal career development. Appropriate recruitment processes were in place in order to reduce the risk of unsuitable new staff being employed by the service.

People and relatives told us their family members were always asked for their consent before care staff provided care. When people did not have the capacity to consent to their care the provider had arrangements in place so that people’s rights were upheld and care staff worked within the requirements of the law.

For people who needed assistance at meal times, care staff provided this which enabled people’s dietary needs to be met and this was recorded in their daily notes. Care staff referred people to other health professionals for advice and support when their health needs changed and supported people to follow health professionals’ advice.

Relatives told us that their family members had developed good relationships with care staff who knew people well and supported them in their homes. The provider enabled care staff to be responsive to people’s needs and provide personalised care due to the additional training they received which included end of life care with strong links to the local hospice.

Relatives knew their complaints would be listened to and action taken to resolve any issues. When issues were identified the provider took action to improve the quality of the service people received.

Care staff, senior staff and the management team shared common vision and values about the aims and objectives of the service. People were supported and encouraged to live as independently as possible, according to their needs and abilities.