Living Spring Solutions (Care & Training) Limited

Living Spring Solutions (Care & Training) Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides care and support for people living in their own homes. Not everyone using Living Spring Solutions (Care & Training) Limited receives a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with personal care; that is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. Three people were using the service at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service

There were safeguarding policies and procedures in place. The registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were enough staff available to meet people’s care and support needs. Risks to people had been assessed to ensure their needs were safely met. The service had procedures in place to reduce the risk of infections.

Assessments of people’s care and support needs were carried out before they started using the service. They received support to maintain good health and were supported to maintain a balanced diet. 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 support this practice. Staff had received training and support relevant to people’s needs.

People were treated in a caring and respectful manner and had been consulted about their care. People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy with the service. The service had procedures in place to make sure people had access to end of life care and support if it was required.

The provider had effective systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. They sought feedback about the service from people and their relatives using satisfaction surveys. This feedback was used to improve the service. Staff said they received good support from the registered manager. The provider worked with health and social care providers to plan and deliver an effective service.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 04/05/2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service had appropriate safeguarding adults procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. There was a whistle-blowing procedure available and staff said they would use it if they needed to. Procedures were in place to support people where risks to their health and welfare had been identified. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work. People’s medicines were managed appropriately and people received their medicines as prescribed by healthcare professionals.

The registered manager and staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and acted according to this legislation. Staff had completed an induction when they started work and they had received training relevant to the needs of people using the service. People’s care files included assessments relating to their dietary support needs. People had access to health care professionals when they needed them.

None of the people using the service were able to communicate with us verbally during the inspection so we spoke with their relatives about the service their family members were receiving. They told us they and their relatives were provided with appropriate information about the service. They said staff were kind and caring and their relatives privacy and dignity was respected. They had been consulted about their relatives care and support needs and care plans were in place that provided information for staff on how to support people to meet their needs. They were aware of the complaints procedure and said they were confident their complaints would be listened to, investigated and action taken if necessary. The registered manager and staff said there was a matching process in place that ensured people were supported by staff that had the experience, skills and training to meet their needs.

The provider recognised the importance of monitoring the quality of the service provided to people. They took into account the views of people using the service through satisfaction surveys and telephone monitoring calls. They carried out unannounced spot checks to make sure people were being supported in line with their care plans. Staff said they enjoyed working at the service and they received good support from the registered manager. There was an out of hours on call system in operation that ensured management support and advice was always available for staff when they needed it.