Yourlife (Thatcham), a small domiciliary care agency serving 6 people in a retirement village, achieved a Good rating across all five key questions at its first inspection in March 2023. The service demonstrated safe recruitment, robust risk and medicines management, person-centred care planning, and strong leadership with positive feedback from people, relatives and staff throughout.
Strengths
· People and relatives reported unanimously positive feedback; staff described as kind, compassionate and treating people like family
· Comprehensive and regularly reviewed risk assessments with clear guidance for care staff
· Safe recruitment practices and sufficient staffing levels with no missed appointments reported
· Robust medicines administration systems with competency assessments and a culture of transparency for reporting errors
· Registered manager demonstrated good oversight, was accessible and visible, and fostered an open, person-centred culture
Quality-Statement breakdown (26)
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices; delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawGood
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills and experienceGood
effective: Supporting people to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced dietGood
effective: Staff working with other agencies to provide consistent, effective, timely careGood
effective: Supporting people to live healthier lives, access healthcare services and supportGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityGood
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their careGood
caring: Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity and independenceGood
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control and to meet their needs and preferencesGood
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsGood
responsive: Supporting people to develop and maintain relationships to avoid social isolationGood
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsGood
responsive: End of life care and supportGood
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringGood
well-led: How the provider understands and acts on the duty of candourGood
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles, and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsGood
well-led: Engaging and involving people using the service, the public and staff, fully considering their equality characteristicsGood
well-led: Continuous learning and improving careGood