Later Life Care Ltd

Updated 28 April 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 completed by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

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

We gave a short period 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 1 March 2023 and ended on 22 March 2023 when we gave feedback. We visited the location’s office on 1 March 2023.

What we did before the inspection

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 reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered with us. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During and after our inspection, and visit to the office, we spoke and received feedback from 8 staff including the registered manager, compliance manager, team leader and business manager to gather their views about the quality of care provided. We also received feedback from 3 health care professionals who work with the service to provide care to the people who used the service. We requested and reviewed various records including 5 people’s care records, 3 staff recruitment records, staff training, supervision and how the provider monitored the quality of care people received.

Updated 28 April 2023

About the service

Later Life is a small domiciliary service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. 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 the service was providing care to 16 people.

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

Governance systems were not sufficiently in place or developed to monitor the care provided. Care records were not reviewed regularly. Risks were not identified, and plans put in place to manage them. There was a lack of detail in care plans about what care should be provided and how this should be given.

The monitoring and managing of medication was not robust to manage the errors being made which could put people at risk of harm.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. We have made a recommendation that the provider considers the legal requirements of the Mental Capacity Act with regards to decision making and authorisations for others to act on people’s behalf.

Staff understood how to protect people from harm and discrimination. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs and ensure their safety.

When people first started receiving care the service ensured the staff were matched with similar interests and personalities to ensure good relationships were developed. This led to staff knowing people well and providing them with the care and support they needed in the way they preferred.

People who used the service and their relatives were pleased with the standard of care they received, and the support provided. One relative said, “Staff have time to sit and chat over a cup of tea and a game of scrabble. The staff keep me informed as to what is happening. It has been a very stressful time, but we are more relaxed now this company is involved. There is such good communication with the family as well as the care support given.”

Staff received supervision and the support they needed and were very complimentary about the way the service was managed and how good the communication and involvement was from the registered manager.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

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 15 April 2021, and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service including when the service registered with CQC.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to management of risks to people including medication and governance systems to monitor the service at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.