Archived: T.L.C Home Care Services

Updated 24 April 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an assistant inspector who made phone calls to people in their home.

Service and service type: T.L.C. Home Care Services is a domiciliary care agency. It provides care to people living in their own homes.

The service had a manager who was also the provider and registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection: We gave the service 48 hours' notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that the manager and office staff would be available. The notice period also gave opportunity for the provider to make people aware we may be telephoning them for their feedback.

Inspection site visit activity started on 6 February 2019 and ended on 7 February 2019. We visited the office location on 6 February 2019 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. Phone calls to people and their relatives took place on the 7 February 2019.

What we did: Before the inspection: We reviewed the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. Due to technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During inspection: We looked at three people’s care records including medicines administration records (MAR) and daily notes. We reviewed three staff files and checked recruitment, training and supervision records. We looked at records of accidents, incidents, complaints and compliments and reviewed audits, quality assurance reports and surveys.

We spoke with the provider, business and development manager, assistant manager, training manager, administrator and six care staff. A further six care staff provided information via a questionnaire. We spoke on the telephone with five people who used the service.

Updated 24 April 2019

About the service: T.L.C Home Care Services is a Domiciliary Care Agency that was providing personal care to 58 people at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service: People received their medicines when needed but records were not always fully completed and the provider was taking action to address this. Staff safeguarded people from abuse. Risks to people were assessed and action taken to address them. The provider ensured suitable staff were employed by undertaking appropriate checks. There were sufficient staff to ensure no calls were missed and further work was being done to ensure staff had sufficient travel time between calls.

Staff had access to regular training and felt they had a good level of support from the management team. People received appropriate support with food and nutrition. Staff ensured people were able to access a range of healthcare appointments. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People spoke positively about the support they received from staff. People were treated with dignity and respect and were encouraged to maintain their independence as much as possible.

People received person-centred support based on their assessed needs and preferences. People were involved in decisions about their care and in writing and reviewing their care plans. Clear complaints procedures were in place and any concerns were investigated in line with this.

Staff spoke positively about the management and leadership team. Systems were in place to ensure the voices of people, relatives and staff were heard. The provider worked flexibly and in co-operation with other stakeholders such as the local authority and other professionals to promote people’s health and wellbeing.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection: The rating at the last inspection was good (published 3 February 2016).

Why we inspected: This inspection was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.