Lifetree Homecare Ltd

Updated 11 February 2023

The inspection

We carried out this performance review and assessment under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act). We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements of the regulations associated with the Act and looked at the quality of the service to provide a rating.

Unlike our standard approach to assessing performance, we did not physically visit the office of the location. This is a new approach we have introduced to reviewing and assessing performance of some care at home providers. Instead of visiting the office location we use technology such as electronic file sharing and video or phone calls to engage with people using the service and staff.

Inspection team

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave short notice of the inspection; this was to enable us to find out if the provider could facilitate the inspection using remote technologies.

Inspection activity started on 16 January 2023 and ended on 1 February 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

This performance review and assessment was carried out without a visit to the location’s office. We used technology such as video and telephone calls and emails to enable us to engage with people using the service and staff, and electronic file sharing to enable us to review documentation.

We announced the inspection on 16 January 2023 and requested records to be sent to us securely.

We spoke with the deputy manager, care coordinator/executive director and the nominated individual on a video call on 25 January 2023. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We received electronic feedback about the service from 3 people who used the service and 9 relatives. We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 1 relative on the telephone. We also received electronic feedback about the service from 13 staff members, including care workers and supervisors, and 5 health and social care professionals.

We reviewed the care records of 5 people who used the service. We also reviewed a range of records including training, staff recruitment, policies and procedures and audits.

We fed back our findings of the inspection via video call on 1 February 2023 to the nominated individual, care coordinator/executive director and deputy manager.

Updated 11 February 2023

About the service

Lifetree Homecare Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. The service provides support to adults.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were 59 people receiving the regulated activity of personal care, one of these people had a learning disability.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support:

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People’s care records identified their choices and independence were promoted and respected. People confirmed care workers listened to what they said and encouraged and respected their independence

Right Care:

Prior to people using the service, their needs were assessed with the input of people and their representatives. These were used to inform the care plans. People’s care records were person centred and guided care workers in how to provide person centred care and respect people’s dignity, privacy and rights. People and relatives told us care workers were caring and respectful.

Right Culture:

We received positive feedback from people using the service, relatives, staff and other professionals about the how the service was well-led. The management team were committed to providing good quality care and continuous improvement. Lessons were learned when incidents happened to reduce future risks. People’s feedback about the service was sought and acted on.

Risks were assessed and systems in place to reduce them. People received the support they required with their medicines and this was monitored. There were enough care workers to ensure people’s visits were undertaken.

Care workers received training to meet people’s needs effectively. People’s health and dietary needs were assessed and where support was required, this was provided.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 19 November 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This comprehensive inspection was undertaken due to the service not yet having a rating since registration.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.