Live N Care Ltd

Updated 11 May 2023

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

The service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides care to people living in their own homes.

The service provides care and support to people living within 4‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 13 March 2023 and ended on 22 March 2023. We visited the location’s office on 15 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. 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

We spoke with 6 family members of people using the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the nominated individual who is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We spoke with the registered manager and the care co-ordinator. We spoke with 2 senior care assistants and 1 care assistant by telephone.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. We looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service including quality monitoring, minutes of staff meetings and staff training.

Updated 11 May 2023

About the service

Live N Care is a domiciliary care and supported living service. The domiciliary care service provides care and support to people living in their own homes. The supported living service comprised of 4 houses which provide communal facilities, including a lounge, kitchen and bathroom, each person having their own bedroom. The houses have a dedicated bedroom for staff to sleep on site as part of the 24 hour care support.

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 9 people were receiving support with personal care.

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

A supportive and positive culture facilitated the development of new relationships for people, and the nurturing of existing relationships with family and friends. There was a positive approach to managing risk, which proactively encouraged and supported people to experience new opportunities and develop skills have new experiences, including voluntary and paid work. People were supported to pursue a wide range of interests and attend social events and activities they enjoyed, which included holidays. This had a positive impact on people’s confidence and wellbeing.

People had autonomy and were fully involved in all decisions relating to their care. Staff supported people to maximise their independence, choice and control which was in part achieved by a commitment to proactively provide people with key information in a format they could understand. This included providing literature to enable people to make informed decisions about their care, including their lifestyle choices.

People’s lifestyles and choices were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected their well-being. The provider recognised this and sought innovative ways to support people. They published books which included photographs of people enjoying holidays and day trips and visits with family, to remind people of happier times. Competitions and activities were developed for people to take part in within the supported living settings, which included games to be played out of doors in the garden.

People were encouraged to regularly discuss and plan their care and support, enabling them to maximise their potential and challenge themselves to achieve and lead a rewarding and fulfilling life. People’s support was tailored to meet their needs and aspirations, and their support was delivered to ensure flexibility, choice and continuity of care.

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.

Right Care:

People were at the heart of the service and were respected and valued as individual and were empowered to be partners in their care. Staff were fully committed in promoting people’s human rights, which included making available and sign posting people to sources of additional help and advice, which included external support groups and advocacy services.

People were supported by staff with the skills and experience to provide excellent quality care and support, which included training to enable them to provide tailored support to meet individual needs, and support them in their lifestyle choices.

Right Culture:

The ethos, values, attitude and behaviours of the management team and staff assured people received high quality and person centred care, which was achieved through an inclusive and empowering culture. This included people’s involvement in the recruitment of staff and the seeking of their views about the quality of the service they received.

Professionals and family members were exceptionally positive about the management and leadership of the service, and their commitment to go above and beyond their expectations in the delivery of good quality outcomes for people. This culture was evident throughout the service and staff team.

Staff highly praised the commitment and ethos of the management team in their leadership and approach in achieving good outcomes for people and enhancing people’s quality of life. Staff acknowledged the investment made by the provider in their ongoing development and training which enabled them to support people in line with recognised best practice and in line with people’s individual needs, preferences and aspirations.

Governance of the service was well-embedded, with a strong commitment to monitor the performance of the service to bring about continued improvement.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Outstanding (published 6 June 2019)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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